A Certain Scientific Angelica
by Panzer4life
Summary: After failing to find and neutralize the person responsible to supply the Five Republics Faction with advance military weapons, Angelica has ended up in Academy City, to begin her life anew. But with the Bord of Directors, the SWA, the FRF, and others trying to gain the control over her, Angelica's life won't be the same. Rate M for blood, vulgar language, and 'lemons'.
1. Chapter Zero: Prologue

**Chapter Zero: Prologue**

* * *

"We need to go after those who are support the FRF abroad," argued Jean. "If we can cut the foreign support, then we can make the operations in Italy more effective."

Jean was arguing with the chief of Section Two of the Social Welfare Agency, Pieri Lorenzo. Pieri sighed.

"The risks with foreign operations are too great," Pieri argued. "If a fratello were killed in a forgein nation, we couldn't react fast enough to cover our doings, and the SWA would come under fire, giving the Five Republics Faction a great advantage."

Jean clenched his fist, growing angry at the lack of action against the FRF's supporters. He knew they had guns being trafficked to them from the Middle East and Eastern Europe, money from Germany and France, and they were getting their soldiers trained from veterans in Serbia and Chechnya. He knew the problem would only get worse if this foreign support continue.

"Sir, the problem is that the foreign support is becoming overwhelming, what happens if they get their hand on heavy weapons, or they hire mercenaries to attack government buildings, or they hack into government servers and cause civil unrest?" Jean saw as Pieri frown, considering the ramifications.

"I understand, but we can't dispatch all the fratellos to attack the supporters; it would leave Italy unprepared against the rising terrorist attacks," Pieri said. He seemed to be calculating the best course of action. "What we need is to send the fratellos to go after one of these groups, one that isn't so vital for our operations here, and easily written off if the worse comes."

Jean looked over to Rico, knowing that he wouldn't be sent; he and Rico were too successful to be sent overseas. Same thing with the Hillshire/Triela and the Jose/Henrietta fratellos. Claes lacked a handler, so that left only one possibility. Jean cursed his luck; it would easily write off future foreign missions.

"With all due respect sir, but is it wise to send Angelica into the field? She is just recovering from her injuries after rescuing Claes, and she has the most medical problems. She could be a liability in the field." Jean saw Rico shuffle her feet, a little nervous at Jean's words. However, Pieri sighed.

"They are the only ones I would risk sending overseas, you and the others are too valuable, and we need all the veterans we can get," Pieri argued. "I want you to talk with Marco, begin looking at possible operations, and give me a timeline for when they can be sent overseas."

Jean sighed, but he nodded, and he turned to leave. As he and Rico left the room, he pulled his phone out.

"Priscilla, I need a list of known outside supporters of the FRF, have them ready for me as soon as possible," Jean commanded.

* * *

In a city devoted to science, an enigmatic man looked at a screen. He was looking at news report from Italy, and smiled.

"So the Five Republic Faction is stepping up their efforts, very well, their efforts will be useful for keeping the Roman Catholic Church busy, and it allows me to continue with my plans," the man said.

The man, who wore a green hospital gown and had long white hair, was floating upside down in a tube, making sure his plans were coming along as he intended. He was considered the greatest magician alive, and he had the technology of Academy City behind him. He was pulling the strings, influencing the actions by his subtle will.

Yet he had been getting reports that threaten his powerbase. For in Italy, where civil unrest was sure to keep everyone's attention for the most part, there were reports, rumors really, that the SWA was closing the scientific gap.

These rumors, of human bio-engineering, intrigued the magician turned scientist. If the SWA had technology that could give him an upper hand, he would take it. But how to go about it? He ran a couple of calculations before calling in one of his more loyal soldiers. He saw as the blonde hair man approached him.

"What is it you want Aleister?" asked the man. He had a tattoo around his left eye, and wore a lab jacket over a maroon shirt and brown slacks. "If this is about Accelerator, he is already a Level 5, not much more I can do, since he is out of my hands."

"This has nothing to do with Accelerator, Kihara Amata," Aleister stated plainly. Aleister watched at Amata tried to figure out what Aleister had called him for.

"Oh, what would this be about then? Not Hound Dog, those pieces of shit are easily replaced and highly trained. Not about the Imaginary District, that is still under the works. Not the Dark May Project, not my field of research. So what the hell did you call me in for?"

Aleister enjoyed the show, so he began to explain.

"Have you heard about the Italian Social Welfare Agency?" Aleister asked. Amata laughed.

"What, that social healthcare system for advance medical practices, yeah I have heard about it. What of it, it's not like they have anything we can't replicate."

"Then perhaps you heard of a division with the SWA, one that is rumored to be going after the Five Republics Factions with what could be equated as super soldiers," Aleister prodded. Amata paused, thinking.

"I haven't heard of such rumors, though then again, my research on the lovely lab rats you have given me has me busy, and the world of politics bore the shit out of me," Amata said. "What you want me to do, go to Italy and destroy the SWA, to keep your prestige intact?"

Aleister chuckled.

"No, destroying is easy; I could dispatch any numbers of espers to do it. Rather, I want you to attract one of their units to the city, if it exists, and capture the 'super-soldiers'. Find what makes them tick, then do what you will with the soldier."

Amata chuckled; this was going to be fun. He had to figure out how to get the SWA's attention, lure them into Academy City, and kidnap one of the 'super-soldiers'. He already had a basic planned formed.

"Alright then," Amata said. "I will be sure to get you the data, though, why has this got you bothered?" Aleister remained calm, but Amata knew better; nothing caused sudden interruptions from Aleister unless it was a problem.

"Let's just say I got an itch I want to scratch," Aleister said. As Amata left the Windowless Building, Aleister looked back at the screen, looking at today's bombing in Rome.

"Things are about to be affected; better prepare for all possible outcomes," muttered the magician.

* * *

Marco was on the firing range, trying to get Angelica ready future missions. He sighed, growing annoyed with her general clumsiness. But when given a rifle, she could drill targets all day.

Today she was practicing her accuracy at long range with the Steyr IWS 2000 with 15.2x169mm APFSDS rounds. The rifle was fed by a 5 round detachable box magazine, semi-automatic, but the main appeal was its ability to punch through 40mm of RHA at a kilometer away.

Angelic rested the massive rifle stock into her shoulder, lying down on the ground prone with her legs off centered to better absorb the recoil. She aimed at the target at eight hundred meters, taking into account the window, the muzzle velocity of the round, and her heartbeat.

She zoned herself into her heartbeat, noting when her heart was about to beat, and timing her shot to be between beats, during the lull period. She adjusted her aim accordingly, and prepared to fire. She held her breath, and pulled the trigger as lightly as possible.

BOOM!

The weapon fires its sabot dart nearly fifteen hundred meters as second, closing the distance in a little over half a second. Angelica remains in position, waiting for Marco to give her adjustments. Marco meanwhile saw the bullet had impacted the on the lower bull-eyes, bordering on the eight ring.

"Angelica, you were a little low, aim higher to compensate," Marco instructed. Angelica obeyed, and sent another round down range. Marco observed the shot; it was now dead center bull-eyes. "Very good Angelica, bull-eyes. Fire the remaining rounds."

Marco watched as the remaining three shots danced around the second shot, clipping its edges. He smiled, impressed that Angelica was able to handle the rifle; well in all technicality, it wasn't a rifle as it had a smoothbore barrel, but for its purposes it was a rifle.

"Well done," Marco said. "Now, I want you to run ten laps around the complex before calling it a day." Angelica, with her dark black hair, nodded.

"Yes Marco," she said, before putting away the IWS-2000 and taking off for her laps. Marco watched as she jogged around the complex, and he sighed, lifting the beast of a weapon. He saw Jean approaching him with Rico.

"I just saw Angelica jogging off, did you order her to?" Marco nodded, and Jean sighed.

"Alright then, well I need to talk to you."

"What about Jean?" Marco asked. Jean gave Marco a file, and Marco flipped through it while Jean talked.

"We are about to start targeting the supporters of the FRF that are outside the country," Jean began. "But sadly, due to a lack of resources, Pieri wants to only risk sending one fratello, and he expects you and Angelica to be up to the task."

Marco shook his head, unable to believe that Pieri wanted to send Angelica out into the field. Marco was only just getting her ready to support the others, but to do a solo mission, he wasn't sure…

"How long will I have to train Angelica?" Marco asked. Jean shrugged.

"The sooner the better, though given her conditioning, I can understand if it takes a couple of weeks for her to get ready," Jean explained. "Also, I suggest going through the possible missions and selecting the easier ones, to instill confidence in Pieri to allow the rest of us to get out of Italy and start hurting the logistics of the FRF."

"I get it, but, this is going to be hard," Marco commented. "So, what are you and Rico up to?" Marco saw Rico was unpacking her SVD marksman rifle. Jean put both hands into his pocket.

"Simple; getting the rifle sighted in for tonight's operations," Jean said. "The FRF is moving some hardware from the Tuscany region to Milan for reasons unknown, though we suspect it is to train new FRF recruits in taking down the RIOT police forces."

Marco shook his head, disgusted by the FRF's tactics. They didn't hesitate to use ransoms, murder, black mail, or terrorist attacks to succeed, they believed the ends justified the means. Marco nodded, leaving Jean and Rico to their practice, hoping that their mission goes successfully.

* * *

On a long stretch of highway that ran from Tuscany to Milan, Jean and Rico were setting up their observation point. Rico nestled her SVD, aiming at the road, past the point where Hillshire and Triela were supposed to set up the roadblock. Jean smiled; the ambush was set.

"Hillshire, how are things at your end?" Jean asked. He heard Hillshire chuckled.

"The spikes have been laid, and Triela is prepping her shotgun, so we are good to go. Don't worry Jean, they won't be getting past." Jean then radioed his brother Jose.

"Jose, you and Henrietta down setting up?"

"Henrietta is set up with her FAL, and I got one as well, so I don't think anyone will be getting away so easily," his brother said calmly. Jean then saw headlights down the road. He raised his binoculars, and saw three cargo trucks, typical for the FRF for when they do weapon convoys.

"Everyone, look alive, the FRF has arrived," Jean said, while lying down, readying his own SVD. He looked over at Rico.

"Focus on those with the heavy weapons first, then take out anyone at your discretion," Jean advised.

"Yes Jean," Rico said. Jean watched as the convoy rolled to the ambush point, when they suddenly stopped short. Jean felt something was wrong, but it was too close to call off the ambush. He waited, only to realize his mistake, as he saw the lead truck uncover itself, revealing a M2 machine gun with a CROW system.

"Shit, Hillshire, get down!" Jean yelled into the radio. "They were expecting us!" At that moment, the M2 opened fire on the car that Hillshire and Triela were using as cover, forcing the two to seek cover in a ditch. Jean aimed at the CROW unit, and tapped Rico on the shoulder.

"Aim at the M2, see if we can't render it useless," Jean said. Rico nodded, and the two set to work on firing on the CROW system. Jean aimed at the camera, while Rico aimed for the mechanism. But as they were doing this, the other trucks were unloading foot soldiers, which began to pepper their position with gun fire.

As bullets whizzed past them, Jean finally put a bullet into the camera system, which temporarily stopped the M2 from firing. Jean radioed Hillshire, telling him to fire on the FRF. Meanwhile, Jean could see that his brother and Henrietta were firing down at the soldiers, picking them off slowly.

Jean was about to radio them, asking them to close in, when he saw two FRF soldiers carrying rocket launchers.

"Rico, target the launchers!" Jean yelled, aiming at the first one. Aiming at the guy's head, he squeezed the trigger, killing him. Rico fired at the second, but the shot hit his chest, which caused the man to fire his launcher. The rocket flew toward their position, and Jean threw him and Rico out of its way.

The rocket exploded as it collided with a tree past them. The splinters flew through the air, and Jean kept himself covered over Rico. Jean could hear the gunfire shift from their position, so he got back to his SVD.

He saw that the FRF were now putting pressure on Hillshire and Triela's position, while at the same time keeping Jose and Henrietta down. Jean and Rico manned their weapons, and began picking off the soldiers, which caused chaos in the FRF ranks.

The FRF fell back to their trucks firing madly at all three of their positions, but the shots were wild, often missing them by yards. Jean and Rico saw the two trucks beginning to form a box around the FRF forces, trying to get the remaining men to escape.

"Oh hell no you don't," muttered Jean. "Rico, target the drivers!"

"Yes Jean," said Rico. She aimed for center of mass, and she put two shots into the lead truck's driver. The driver slump over, and the other trucks couldn't get past it. Jean smiled; the FRF had lost this engagement, now it was just cleanup.

"Rico, just pick the targets that make themselves open," Jean said. Rico nodded, and began to take shots at anyone who popped out of the cover of the trucks. Triela and Hillshire moved in, trying to get shots on them, while Henrietta and Jose flanked to behind the trucks.

Jean picked off another man when he saw a couple of FRF soldiers come out, with their weapons empty.

"We surrender!" yelled the soldier. Rico looked at Jean.

"Sir, should I take him out?" Rico asked.

"No, they are surrendering," Jean said. He radioed Hillshire. "Can you deal with the men while me and Rico come down to help out?"

"Yeah, we got this. Looks like Jose and Henrietta didn't give them much option anyway." Jean then saw Jose and Henrietta, their rifles leveled, aiming at the defeated FRF. Jean smiled at the scene.

He and Rico came down to the road, and saw there were 13 dead FRF, and five who surrendered. Jean walked over to Jose while Hillshire and Triela handcuffed the soldiers.

"Some ambush that was," Jean said curtly. "Way for that to fail." Jose nodded.

"It would've worked, but somehow they caught wind of our operations," Jose said. He turned to Henrietta, who was in one of the trucks. "Henrietta, is there anything of note?"

"Yes Jose," Henrietta said, clambering out of the truck with a piece of electronic kit. "Don't know what it is, but it looked different from the rest of the stuff."

Jose looked at the equipment while Jean climbed in, and shuffled through the crates. The M2 CROWS was scary enough, but the stuff in the crates sent shivers down his spine. Packed inside were Milkor MGLs, Javelin Anti-tank missiles, and several F2000 assault rifles. Jean cursed; who the hell would give the FRF this level of military hardware?

He climbed out, and he saw his brother smash the electronic equipment.

"It was a radio interceptor, top of the line," Jose spat out. "They were listening to us planning!" Jean shook his head, this was terrible. He walked up to the prisoners, and raised his gun to one of their heads.

"Now, I want answers, and if I don't get them, I will execute you one by one," warned Jean. "So who will speak first?" One of the FRF soldiers, a kid who looked like he just got out of high school panicked.

"L-look, we don't know who gave us the supplies!" he yelled. Jean aimed his gun at him.

"Are you sure about that?" Jean asked, cocking the hammer. The kid's leg began to shake violently.

"Look, I don't know who, but I know where!" the kid spluttered out. "Will you not kill us if we tell you?" Jean sighed; if he couldn't get a name, a location might be the next best option.

"Depends on the place, and if you tell me if there are any more shipments," Jean said coolly. The kid nodded.

"The guns were from Academy City, our source called himself AK, but it was a one-time deal!" the kid said, sweat rolling down his face. "I don't know anything else." Jean paused for dramatic effect, before lowering the hammer slowly.

"Thank you for your cooperation, perhaps now you won't be sitting in prison for the rest of your life," Jean said, holstering his pistol. He turned to Jose.

"When we go over the debriefing tomorrow, get Marco's ass up here, I have a strong idea of what mission he is going to be up to." Jose nodded, and soon the support units from SWA arrived to pick up the prisoners, confiscate the weapons and equipment, and clear the road, leaving Jean to curse at the new development.

* * *

Marco was in the meeting room, having listened to the mission debrief by Jean. He couldn't believe that the FRF had managed to get so many military grade weapons, and were able to hack into their radio communications.

"So as of now, the SWA is under direct fire," Jean concluded. "The FRF has been able to intercept our radio communications, and they are now carrying firepower to rival military units. We need to take out their supply lines."

The others in the room nodded, and Marco could feel the pressure building on him. He knew that Jean was telling him to get his and Angelica's asses into the field and go abroad to take out the foreign support. He concluded that Jean would pressure him to take out a Middle East arms dealer.

"I agree," Pieri said. "Marco, we need you and Angelica in the field now; the risk is too great otherwise. Jean, do we know where the shipment originated from?" Jean nodded.

"According to one of the prisoners, the shipment came from a man calling himself AK, who apparently lives in Academy City," Jean said.

Marco wanted to spit his coffee out, shocked at the information. Academy City would be like trying to enter a city where both the inhabitants and the outside world was trying to prevent anyone entry. It also explained the high-tech nature of the weapons.

"Are you certain?" Pieri asked. "We don't have any conventional means to enter Academy City undetected, and they don't have any extradition treaties."

"I understand sir, but the prisoner has been tested extensively, and all methods conclude he is telling the truth," Jean said. "However, I expect we can get inside; it will just require careful planning." Pieri sighed, weighing the options. In the ends, he nodded.

"Very well, Marco, you and Angelica will be heading to Academy City at the weeks end. Get trained, prepare your cover stories, and we will gather you with as much support as possible." Marco sighed; he knew Angelica wasn't ready and here he was, being told to get her ready well before he would even consider it done.

"Yes sir," Marco said, feeling overwhelmed at the situation. "Just promise you have more information on this AK guy, so we can quickly neutralize him and get out; I feel the longer we are in Academy City, the greater the odds of us being made."

Pieri nodded, leaving Marco to prepare today's training regimen. The others began to leave, except for Jean and Pieri. Both knew more than what the others were told.

"Sir, you suspect as much as I do this is a trap," Jean said. "So while the threat is real, is it worth risking a fratello to get them?" Pieri weaved his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table.

"Yes, because this is a trap, if we don't respond, they could send another shipment until we are forced to act," Pieri said. "Besides, Angelica doesn't have much to live; even if she was captured, the state of her mind is too fragile for anyone other than us to make sense of."

Jean looked at Pieri, eyeing him with consternation. He hadn't expected Pieri to be this indifferent to the Fratello, but he respected his decision, for sadly it was the best option; send the worst one into the fire, and pray they succeed.

* * *

A week had passed with Marco and Angelica having landed in Tokyo an hour ago, and they were in traffic, trying to enter Academy City. Marco could make out the border between the City and the rest of Japan, with large concrete walls surrounding the perimeter of the city, cameras keeping a watchful eye, and armed security personnel at the checkpoints. Marco could swear that this was like the Berlin Wall.

He looked over at Angelica, who was watching for potential threats. He sighed, as she had been up for over sixteen hours already; doesn't she tire? But he had to remind him that this is why the handlers had cyborgs, the cyborgs didn't tire, they didn't relent, and they followed orders to the very end.

Marco inched his car forward until he was at the checkpoint. He was worried that their cover story would get detected by the advance security of the city. He held his posture however, keeping a calm look on his face.

"Papers sir," said the security officer. Marco handed him his and Angelica's fake passport and papers. The officer, who was an older gentleman, reviewed the papers in the checkpoint terminal. Marco could see the man checking the computer, only to shake his head. Marco braced himself for the worse; he had a Steyr Series M in 9mm underneath his coat.

The officer returned, handing Marco the papers and passports.

"The system has cleared you and your daughter for entry," the officer said. "However, I must ask, is this trip to Academy City for business or pleasure?" Marco sighed, relieved that nothing went wrong.

"Pleasure, my daughter wanted to see about getting a tuition to one of the high schools here," Marco said. The officer nodded.

"Very well then Mr. Remeaus, welcome to Academy City, enjoy your stay here," the officer said, waving him down the checkpoint. Marco nodded, and drove away from the checkpoint, glad to be out of there. He turned to Angelica.

"Angelica, please remember that while we are here you refer to me as 'father' or 'papa', either one works," Marco said. "Never refer to me by 'Marco', 'sir', or anything else, it will raise suspicions." Angelica nodded.

"Yes papa," she said, quickly picking up his orders. He smiled. There were a few things he also had to go over.

"Also, you aren't permitted to carry a weapon in the open, so only carry your TMP underneath your coat," Marco said. "Also, keep it as a last resort, or when I tell you otherwise."

"Yes papa," Angelica said. She began to rub her eyes, her eyes beginning to burn from the long period of keeping a constant look out for Marco when he was asleep on the plane, when he was driving, and it didn't help that she hadn't gone through a period of no sleep for this long in a while.

She yawned, trying to stay awake as Marco navigated the car to the hotel where they would be staying. She watched as students in various uniforms walked along the street, smiling and talking amongst themselves. Angelica had remembered that most of the population of the city was students, which made her wonder how much danger they were in.

The FRF weren't here, but the information about Academy City was the typical brochure information the City used to promote itself. It talked about the low crime rates, the number of facilities, and the cutting edge technology. But so far, Angelica saw no uniformed law enforcement units patrolling the streets, only a unusually high amount of security cameras, causing her to question the safety of the city.

She was about to inquire about this when Marco parked the car. He got out of the car, which made Angelica open her door, and grab her luggage. She followed behind Marco closely, paying attention to the hotel lobby. The lobby was open, with a service desk in the middle. On either side of the desk were long hallways, with an elevator at the end of each.

"Hello sir," said the receptionist, a woman with red hair and round glasses. She wore a black business dress, and was smiling. "Are you looking for a room of two?" Marco nodded.

"Yes, though hopefully this trip won't be long," Marco said, placing his bag down and approaching the desk. "Just looking at the possibility of sending my daughter her for education, it probably be safer here than back at home."

The woman merely nodded, typing on a keyboard.

"Ah, your name sir?" the woman asked. Marco replied with his cover name. The woman typed it in, looking at Angelica. Angelica sense the woman was up to something, but what it was, she didn't know, but she felt like the woman didn't belong working at a hotel.

"This will take a second sir," the woman said kindly, still observing Angelica. "How old is your daughter?" Marco chuckled.

"Ten years old," Marco said. The woman nodded.

"Well there are certainly a number of academies in the city that would be willingly to accept your daughter into their ranks, but that depends on aptitude tests," the woman said, before turning back to her computer. "Ah, we have a room for two, it is on the third floor, room 320, so take the elevator on the left. Enjoy your stay here."

Marco thanked the woman, and he led Angelica to the elevator. Once inside, Marco sighed.

"Angelica, forgot one other thing," he said. "Don't talk to anyone unless absolutely necessary. We don't need people to become suspicious of us." Angelica nodded, and as the elevator opened, she noted that the narrow hallways would prove a security issue.

Marco opened the room, to which Angelica began a sweep of the room. She was searching for electronic sensors, bombs, and any other surprises. After spending ten minutes searching every room, she returned to Marco, who was loading the magazines to the TMPs he brought along for the mission.

"Papa, nothing seems out of place," Angelica said. Marco nodded.

"Very well Angelica, get some sleep, we will begin our search of the city for AK in the morning," Marco said. Angelica nodded, and took the bed that wasn't in the line of sight of the window. She crawled underneath the covers, and in minutes she was asleep.

* * *

When Angelica awoke, she saw Marco was already up and setting up a tack board, with various bits of information on the city and possible suspects. Angelica however noted that the suspects were vague; with no real reason other than they had nothing other than an abbreviated name, if it was even that, to go on. She got dressed while Marco tried to determine the best plan.

She put on a simple pink shirt and tan jeans, while putting on a boot knife that was easily concealed by her jeans. She put on a purple hairband, to keep the hair from getting in her face. She looked in the mirror, wondering if she always looked this way. She pushes the thoughts aside, knowing they would only distract her from serving Marco.

She walked into the kitchen, where Marco was pouring over the details that they had. He looked over at Angelica, putting a piece of paper down.

"Angelica, due to our lack of information, we will be forced to improvise," Marco said, handing Angelica a blue-tooth. "We will act like we are trying to get a lay of the land, but we will look over the city to determine likely places for someone to store a large shipment of weapons." Angelica nodded.

Marco pulled out a map of the city, and noted that the districts, while number, lacked any order to their placement. But Angelica saw that there were a couple of districts with X's on them.

"For our purposes today, we will examine Districts 2 and 17, the first one being where they train the police forces around here, and 17 is a large railway area, so it be easy to hide weapons like the ones we found there."

Marco then grabbed his green jacket, holstered his M-Series pistol, and headed out the door, with Angelica following him. They went down the elevator, and past the service desk, where the woman was at the computer.

"Are you going to be long Mr. Remaeus?" the receptionist asked. Marco shrugged.

"Not sure ma'am, depends on whether I get lost or not," he said. "However, don't bother sending a cleaning maid to the room; it doesn't need it at the moment." The woman clicked her toungue at his response, but nodded anyways.

"Alright sir, enjoy your day out with your daughter," the woman said before turning her attention back to the computer. Marco lead Angelica to the car, where he began to drive to District 2. The ride there was quiet, with Angelica noting the abundance of robots going around and cleaning the city, which made her ponder on the idea of security bots.

She wondered what could be mounted on the steel chassis, given how they looked fairly top-heavy. She doubted anything larger than a 7.62mm weapon system, as the recoil and the size of the weapon would be too much for a robot of that size to handle.

She turned her attention to the district where they were entering, and Angelica felt that District Two was similar to the SWA facility; there were large facilities with track fields, fire ranges, and here Angelica could see the police forces.

She saw two distinct forces, one that was comprised of adults and the other that compromised children a little older than her. The adults were wearing full body armor, riot helmets, and carried SG-553 assaults rifles. The children however didn't seem to be armed, and the only thing standard about the children were the green and white armbands.

"Papa, the children appear to be volunteer base, nothing striking about them. Some appear to be ill suited to law enforcement," Angelica began to offer her appraisement of the forces. "The adults however appear well trained and equipped. In a fight, I rather take on the children to the adults any day of the week."

"I agree," Marco said. He was scanning the facilities using a camera he had hidden in the trunk of the car. "Hmm, none of these facilities seem to be carrying a large cache of weapons, at least not like the ones that were recovered."

He was about to speak when a pair of flashing strobe lights came into view behind him.

"Shit, Angelica, stay calm, and don't react unless I tell you," Marco said.

"Yes papa," Angelica said, but she still had her hand resting near her boot knife. She could see a woman dressed in the body armor with blue hair and grey eyes approached their car. She tapped on the window, and Marco rolled it down.

"Just what are you two doing here?" the woman asked. Marco began to speak, but before he got a word out, the woman chuckled.

"Oh, you're not from around here, are you?" she asked. "Well, the name's Yomikawa Aiho, and I am going to ask that you leave the district, it is reserved for those serving in Judgment and Anti-Skill." Marco pulled the best 'innocent bystander' face he could.

"Sorry, I didn't know that," he said. "I was taking my daughter around the city, trying to see if it would be worth the cost to have her educated here." Yomikawa gave Marco a glare.

"Trying to pass your daughter off, or are you doing it truly for her sake?" she asked, a certain air of disgust in her voice. Marco shook his head.

"No, Italy just isn't safe these days," he said. "Not with the FRF and the government in pretty much open war with one another." Yomikawa then relented, looking at Angelica. She smiled at the cyborg, unknowing what Angelica was capable of.

"Well, I can see why you wouldn't want her to remain in Italy, I remember a week ago how there was a firefight on a stretch of highway in northern Italy," Yomikawa said. "I wouldn't want a child growing up in risk of their lives."

"Yeah, so what's the best way out of here?" Marco asked, still trying to get away from Yomikawa. She began to pull a map out and explain to Marco how to get out of District 2, which made Angelica realize that in this city, they would be at a disadvantage merely because the police forces would know their way around the city much better than them.

As Yomikawa finished instructing Marco on the way out, Angelica watched as the children ran around the lap. She noted that while others were in peak physical health, others were severely lacking, making Angelica to look down on them. If a cyborg was as unathletic as some of these children were, then they would be sent back to be improved.

"Oh, looking at the Judgment recruits are you?" Yomikawa asked. Angelica turned to the woman, nodding silently. "They are just one aspect that keeps the city safe; they mostly maintain the peace, provide social services, things like that. But they can hold their own against the thugs that seem to pop up around the city."

Angelica wanted to point out her flaw, but Marco thanked Yomikawa for her 'help' and drove off, heading out of the district. He cursed under his breath for his recklessness, thinking he could enter the district without getting too much attention. Angelica didn't voice the fact she agreed with his judgment, as it would be insulting him. She sighed as they headed off the district 17.

* * *

"What a waste of time," muttered Marco. "We didn't find any weapons caches, we didn't find AK, and we didn't reduce our search area." He kicked a rock in the rail yard, taking his frustration out on something so mundane to take his mind off the needle in the haystack. It was late in the evening, add fuel to his anger.

Angelica looked on at Marco, feeling in someway that this was her fault. She sighed, and looked down, waiting for her orders. She began to pay attention to the rocks on the ground, when she saw a little brass shell hidden amongst the rocks.

Kneeling down, she picks it up, to see that it is a 5.56mm NATO round shell. She noted that the case was cold, as though it had been a while since the shell was ejected from the gun. She tugged at Marco's jacket.

"Papa, I found this amongst the rocks," Angelica said, handing the brass shell to Marco. He looks at it, and smiles.

"Good job Angelica," Marco said, rubbing her hair. "Yeah, this would be fired by a F2000, so the weapons could be around here somewhere, but we will have to come back here later." He began to walk off when he heard the crunching of someone approaching. Marco pushed Angelica behind a freight container. He pulled out his pistol, leaning to get a look at the approaching figure.

Marco saw a group of men in black body armor suits, carrying Tar-21 assault rifles. He leaned back behind the freighter.

"Angelica, I think we found the source of the leak," Marco whispered. "However, they are armed, so we must proceed cautiously." He then checked out again, and saw the men were heading to a freighter on the other end of the yard. He then had Angelica follow him.

After following the men a short distance behind them for a while, Marco saw that the men were heading to a train with several freight containers on them. He nodded to Angelica.

"Tell me what they are saying," Marco commands. She nods, and begins to listen to the men's conversation.

"Shit, how many guns we got loaded up, ready to be sent out?" the first man asked. The second chuckled.

"Oh, let's see, enough to arm a small army," the second said. "But for now, we are to sit tight on them, make sure that if we get word from the boss, we can send the guns out." The first snorted.

"Right, because who the hell is going to be bothered coming out to this place?" the first asked. But Angelica noted his tone; it wasn't serious, rather it was what Marco explained as sarcastic. The second tilted his head in their direction.

"How about the little shits from Italy over there?" the second man said, and he turned, looking straight into Angelica's eyes. The man had just enough time to raise his rifle before Angelica ducked into cover.

"We have been made Marco," Angelica said, taking out her boot knife. Marco cursed, and he grabbed Angelica, running deeper into the rail yard.

"Angelica, we need to break their line of sight," Marco said, taking the safety off. "if you can safely, take one of them out, silently." Angelica nodded, and watched as he began to run off, distracting the two men, who began to fire at him.

Angelica leaned against the freight container, and waited for the two men to pass her. The first she let pass, as the second was behind him. But as the second man moved to past her, she sprang into action. While she was half his height, she was easily as strong if not stronger than him. She kicked his right leg from underneath him, causing him to fall backwards. Using his immobility to her advantage, Angelica swung to his front, and drove the knife into his throat.

He struggled for a few seconds, but as the blood and his life, the struggling ceased. Angelica could continue to hear the exchange of gunfire in the rail yard, so she picked up the man's Tar-21, and tried to catch up to Marco. As she ran, she could hear the gunfire getting closer, but as Angelica rounded a corner, she heard the gunfire cease.

"No," she whispered. She stopped, making sure the gunfire had truly ceased. A minute passed, and it was silent. Angelica went into a full sprint, a thousand's thoughts plaguing her mind. She tried to push them out, but the thoughts were pervasive.

_He's dead, that must explain the silence,_ she thought. _There isn't any other reason, he would be calling for you, he would be trying to find you. He's dead because of you, you weren't there to save him! _

She felt tears rolling down her face, her body shaking as she walked into an opening in the rail yard. She saw more of the men in the black body armor, with a man in a lab coat sneering at Marco, who was bleeding heavily.

"So, is this the best the SWA can send, an old and beaten police officer?" the man said. "My god, what a waste of perfectly good guns, they could've been put to better use." Marco coughed up blood, and glared at the man.

"You were the asshole who supplied the FRF?" Marco sputtered out. The man chuckled.

"If you are talking about that shipment a week ago, then yes I was," the man said. "How was my rat, pretty good huh? Convinced your little agency to poke their necks out here, but now that I look at you, what was it for? You are nothing, not like the espers around here."

Angelica was about to rush out there, kill everyone who had Marco surrounded, and get him out of here, but she saw Marco shake his head at her discreetly. She nodded, and remained hidden.

"So what were you expecting to see?" Marco asked. The man chuckled.

"Well, since you are about to die, I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone," the man said condescendingly. "Someone on the top of the City wanted to see what shit you guys had at the SWA after he heard of rumors of 'super-soldiers', so he contacted me to get ahold of one of them. A pity though, since you and that girl were all that there was."

The man got up and began to walk away. He pointed to the soldiers.

"Wait until I get out of here before offing the bastard," the man instructed. "And if I hear he is alive, I will cut off your balls." The man walked off, smirking as the soldiers paled. Angelica turned to look at Marco, who was still coughing up blood.

Angelica then watched the man get into a van with a squad of the soldiers, and the van drove off. She turned back to Marco, who was looking at the remaining three soldiers.

"Well, any last words?" a soldier mockingly said. Marco smiled and looked at Angelica.

"Kill them all," Marco spoke, and in that instant, Angelica broke from cover. Raising the Tar-21 to her shoulder, she took aim at the soldier aiming at Marco, firing a burst of bullets into his chest, killing him in seconds. The other two soldiers, shocked by the gunfire, turned to the noise, and were shocked by Angelica charging at them.

"It's a god damn girl?!" one of the soldier yelled, disbelieving his eyes. Angelica fired another burst from her rifle, this time scoring a headshot on the guy. Angelica was about to fire another burst when the final soldier fired his rifle at her.

The bullets hit her arm and hand, causing her to drop the rifle. Wincing at the pain, she grabbed a hold of her boot knife in her left hand, and charged at the soldier. She closed the distance, with the soldier scoring a couple more hits into her, but they were non-fatal.

She slashed at the man's arm, but he jumped back, avoiding the slash, and he dropped the rifle and went for a knife of his own. Angelica pushed in with a thrust from her knife, but the man side-stepped and countered by stabbing his KA-Bar into her shoulder.

Angelica yelled in pain, dropping to one knee. She turned to see the man pull his knife out, smiling at her.

"This is the end of the road for you, now isn't it?" the soldier mocked her. Angelica could only watch in terror as the man came at her, about to stab the knife into her skull when a shot rang out in the night. The man's head exploded, blood covering Angelica.

Angelica stared in front of her, seeing a woman standing there holding a SG-553. Angelica was about to ask who she was when Marco coughed. She spun around and began to limp to him.

"Marco, are you ok?" whimpered Angelica, seeing the extent of his injuries. He had a couple of bullets wounds to the chest, a broken arm, and his eye was shot. But she saw Marco smile at her.

"Heh, you're alive," he gasped out. Angelica grabbed his hand, with tears rolling down her face.

"Please Marco, don't die," pleaded Angelica. Marco raised his hand and patted her head. He smiled weakly at her.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "I been doing this for too long, I guess now's my time." Angelica felt his pulse slow down, and his eyes close. She shook him.

"NO! You can't be dead!" yelled Angelica, shaking Marco. But she felt nothing in him, his pulse was gone, his heat was fading, and Angelica felt the world crashing around her. She stared at Marco's dead body, crying. "YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!"

Angelica was about to grab a gun when she felt someone grabbed her from behind. Angelica began to flail, demanding to let her die, when the person spoke.

"I won't a child die just because of their father's death," Yomikawa said. "We are going to the hospital, you are going to get better, and that is that. You dying won't change the facts!" However, Yomikawa's words were on deaf ears, and eventually, Yomikawa was forced to knock Angelica out, just to be able to control Angelica.

Yomikawa turned to the bloodbath, and cursed the entire situation. She had seen the chaos unfold after she drove to the rail yard after a report of gunfire, and was disgusted by the fact that this little girl had been forced to kill people to get to her father.

She carried Angelica to her squad car, and hand cuffed her, for her own safety. She got on the radio.

"This is Yomikawa Aiho, I have multiple dead in the rail yard in district 17, requesting additional units to arrive. I have to get a victim to the hospital; she has sustained several gunshot and knife wounds." She waited for dispatch.

"This is dispatch, we copy. Anti-Skill and Judgment are en route. God's Speed to you, get that victim out of Death's hands," the dispatcher said. Yomikawa started up her engine, and raced to the hospital, stealing a glance to the girl in the back seat. She saw the blood rushing out of her, and Yomikawa prayed she could arrive to the hospital in time.

* * *

A doctor was sitting in front of a computer, looking over a series of medical files, when his pager went off. He looked at it before getting up and heading to the ER where he was paged. He walked, noting that he knew most of the patients in the hospital on a first name basis, and how he had spared many people from an untimely death.

He walked to the nurse's station in the ER to grab the patient file.

"I was paged," the Heaven Canceller said. "What is the nature of the patient?" The nurse paled, and he knew that it was severe.

"The patient is a young girl, about ten years old. She has suffered 6 gunshot wounds, a broken hand and arm, a 22cm knife wound to the shoulder. She has lost a lot of blood, and the officer that found her was forced to knock her out, she was trying to commit suicide. Apparently she watched her father died."

The Heaven Canceller looked at the nurse and shook his head; a young girl was in this much trauma, and had tried to kill herself? He sighed.

"Very well, I will do all I can," he said, and he entered the ER, where several doctors were already attending to her. He saw that the doctors were busy extracting the bullets and replenishing the blood loss. But they were having an issue with closing the wounds off.

"What seems to be the issue?" the Heaven Canceller asked. A younger doctor shook his head.

"This girl, it appears as though most of her body has undergone severe cybernetic enhancements and medical conditioning," the doctor said. "I am not certain we have the facilities to repair the damage, and even if we do, there is her mental capacity to worry about."

"I understand, but we will pull her through this," Heaven Canceller said. "I will oversee the operation myself, so let's begin by getting an examination of her other arm, to see how to fix the other one."

The doctor nodded, and soon the Heaven Canceller was in his battlefield, using all his knowledge and technology at his finger tips to pull the girl through.

The first thing he did was get an detail design of her arm, to which he reversed to fit her right arm and began to reconnect the wires, blood vessels, and repairing the reinforced bone to repair the arm.

He then proceeded to find a suitable replacement for the synthetic skin to cover the wounds. He had to get in contact with a medical research facility to have a specialist come over and apply the skin, making sure there was no rejection of the pseudo-skin.

With the arm fixed and in a crutch and the wounds sealed off, the Heaven Canceller and the doctors turned their attention to her mind. The Heaven Canceller had never seen a brain that was so dependent on drugs. He had sent the brain of addicts, but this rivaled them in terms of damages. She was dependent on drugs to keep her stable, and her receptors for joy were being controlled, as though someone had managed to force her to engineer her mind to accept only certain things as pleasurable.

He began a procedure to wean her off the drug dependencies, and also began using nano-machines to help repair the brain to a more natural state. He sighed as the first batch of nano-machines entered her brain and began their repairs; it would take a week before her mind and brain would be anywhere near repaired.

Heaven Canceller left the room, with man of the doctors praising each other for the work they did. It took twelve hours from repairing her arm to focusing on her brain, but in the end, the patient would be fine. He went to his office, to write a order for the nurses to follow when his phone rang.

"Hello," Heaven Canceller said. "How may I be of assistance?" He heard a casual smirk.

"Hello Heaven Canceller," Aleister said on the other end of the line. "I am wondering how your most recent patient is doing?" He sighed; how was he not surprised by Aleister being in some way involved with this girl's health.

"I assume you know who she is?" Heaven Canceller asked. "She isn't listed in any official records the City has." He heard Aleister chuckle.

"That would be because she isn't from the City," Aleister said. "She is from Italy, and is a subject of the SWA. However, I am interested in the girl's future."

"To what end?" Heaven Canceller asked the magician. "Hasn't she suffered enough under the SWA, if they truly are responsible for this?"

"Of course," agreed Aleister, shocking the frog-faced doctor. "I am thinking it would be better to inform the Italians that she is dead, so she may stay here in the city." Heaven Canceller knew of the level of manipulation Aleister would go to ensure he had what he wanted.

"I would have to agree; if she were to go back to the SWA, they would do whatever barbaric procedures they did to her in the first place again. However, as she is my patient, I won't let you control her like a puppet."

"My, I wouldn't dare harm her," Aleister said. "Rather, I want to test her capabilities, nothing more and nothing less."

"You want to see if her cybernetic implants could be used for the city," the Heaven Canceller stated, calling Aleister out. "However, I can see their uses as plainly as anyone else. But the brainwashing, which is the only thing you can call it, I will never help you with."

"Nor would I need to, as brainwashing by drugs is irrelevant with telepathic espers," Aleister said. "I am merely interested in her cybernetic upgrades, to see how they will benefit the city. In exchange, I will be offering her a new life, but free from my influence of course."

Heaven Canceller snorted, knowing full well that Aleister would be influencing her life whether she wanted it or not. But the girl was now an orphan, with no family or place to call home. She might not even have her memories, what with his procedure trying to undo the brainwashing. He sighed.

"Very well Aleister, I will forward the results of her implants, in exchange for the girl to be allowed to not be involved with your plans. I assume she is going to need a home, of course?" He heard the magician chuckle.

"I think the solution to that problem will present itself shortly," Aleister said, before the line went dead.

Annoyed with the meddling of the Magicain, Heaven Canceller turned his attention to the girl's file. He read her name and sighed; how her innocent face and name hid the sins of others. He put the file on his desk, and went to work, trying to determine the best thing for the girl.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Longest first chapter I have ever done! And this is the first 'A Certain Magical Index' and 'Gunslinger Girls' crossover on the site! And now to explain some things.**

**Yes, this is focused on Angelica. Why Angelica, and why not Henrietta, Triela, or Rico? Because I like Angelica, she tries so hard to please Marco, she has a very humbling back story, and she gets treated like crap in 'GG'. So call it taking pity on her, call it favoring her, I think Angelica has better potential for the story.**

**Second, why did I off Marco? It's not because I hate Marco, but rather I want to have the story focus on a more independent Angelica, one more reminiscent of her life before her parents tried to kill her. Also, having Angelica tied to the Brainwashing to Marco isn't a good idea for an independent Angelica. **

**Next, I am getting rid of the brainwashing and pretty much giving Angelica a blank slate, instead of her trying to kill herself due to Marco's death. I am not saying his death is pointless, it will come back, but I don't want to deal with the fact that in 'GG', the cyborgs would rather kill themselves than live without their handlers.**

**Continuing onwards, on what ability Angelica will get, I have yet to finalize it, but I promise it will be good. It isn't going to be an elctromaster, it isn't going to be a Meltdowner, but it will be on par with them. What it entails I am working out now.**

**Next, on the when of this story and why Angelica is only ten years old. I determined her age by the fact that of the five main gunslinger girls, Triela is the oldest, and on the wiki she is said to be in her mid-teens. I thus said she is about 13-14 years old. Then I figure Henrietta and Rico are about 12 and 11 respectively. Claes is about the same as Triela or Henrietta, so her age doesn't matter. So this places Angelica, who is often depicted as the youngest age wise at ten.**

**As for when this story takes place it takes place a couple of years before 'A Certain Magical Index' takes place, as we will meet Kuroko, who will also be 10 when Angelica meets her. So no seeing the Railgun just yet. But don't despair, there will be a lot of things going on in Angelica's life to compensate!**

**Also, this is my first cross-over fan-fic, so please follow, favorite, and review!**


	2. Chapter One: Settling In

Chapter One: Settling In

* * *

The Heaven Canceller was making his way through the evening hospital rounds, checking various patients. There weren't that many patients thankfully, and the ones that were in were minor, except for the case of Angelica, who was still unconscious. He sighed as he left the room of a young man with spiky black hair. Apparently he tried to help a girl deal with a guy, only to end up with a broken arm.

He walked over to the room next to see Angelica still lying on the medical bed, her heart rate and brainwave activity to a minimal. He sighed as he checked her blood pressure, anti-body counts, and her white cell count. All were in the nominal range, so he left to go to his office, only to pause for a second to make sure her brain charts were normal.

He walked to his office, sighing that she hadn't waken up. He expected it to take a week, but a week had past, and she was still in a coma. He thought of the possibilities, of what could be keeping her under.

The first was that the brainwashing was more severe than he had anticipated, and thus it was taking longer to repair the brain. This would make sense, if it weren't for the MRI scans indicating that the damage was almost completely repaired.

The other option was that her mind was trying to reconnect missing or lost connections, something that seemed possible, but remote. But along the same lines, the brain could be trying to reconnect functions to the foreign limbs.

He sat down, about to read into Angelica's file when the phone rang. He knew only one person would be calling him at this time.

"Hello Aleister, checking in on Angelica?" Heaven Canceller asked. "Before you ask, she is still in a coma."

"As I would expect," Aleister said, leaving the Heaven Canceller to ponder those words. But Aleister continued.

"Due to her being a part of this city, she will need to undergo the Power Curriculum Program. This meant that a few of the nurses, in accordance to their jobs, have taken the liberty to begin the process early, getting information needed for the PCP."

"That's extremely risky, especially in someone who is still recovering from injuries," Heaven Canceller noted. "But she is stable, so no harm done. However, any more interference on your part with Angelica's recovery and you will be dealing with me."

"I have done nothing out of the ordinary, though I respect you loyalty to the Hippocratic Oath," Aleister said. "No more interference will occur until she has recovered." The Heaven Canceller knew that the moment Angelica walked out the hospital doors she would be open to his influence, as well as anyone with an agenda.

"Was there another reason you were calling?" Heaven Canceller asked. He knew that Aleister didn't pay attention to just one person at any time; he could track and follow up to several dozens of high importance people to his plan.

"Of course," Aleister said. "With regards to the cybernetic enhancements you forwarded, they are certainly more advance than anything this city has to offer. Even the synthetic skin we create is sub-par to what the SWA has made."

Heaven Canceller could tell from the surgery that what was in the girl's body was easily a decade or two ahead of what Academy City had in the medical field, which was already thirty years ahead of the rest of the world. The bone enhancements made the bones three to four times stronger without any weight gains, the artificial muscle tissue reacted to stimuli much better, and the top it off these enhancements could be applied to those with no motor control.

But with this level of technology, the Heaven Canceller knew of the risks posed to the girl. Research institutes would want her for her technology, police and armed forces would want her for the combat potential, and the obvious issue of the SWA wanting her to keep their tech out of other's hands. He sighed.

"I suppose then she will need a suitable guardian to keep her safe from the non-aforementioned threats," Heaven Canceller said, earning a chuckle from the magician.

"Yes, that is one concern," Aleister said. "However, the other is going to be her role in the city. You know doubt know she can't be a simple student; she would garner much attention at her physical scores during the PCP, and also her knowledge of weapon systems…" Aleister left the statement hanging, as he knew that Heaven Canceller understood.

"I object to her being a puppet to the Board of Directors; while you may control them, they have their own plans, none of which are for the betterment of the city."

"I know this, and I wouldn't want her running for one of them anyway; they would waste her potential," Aleister said, easing the doctor's concerns. "However, depending on the results of the PCP, she may or may not qualify for Judgment."

Heaven Canceller nodded; in order to become a Judgment Officer, you needed to be an esper, and while anyone who enrolls through the PCP is considered an esper, Judgment will only accept those with a Level 1 or higher ability.

"So what do you suggest?" Heaven Canceller asked, a knot growing in his stomach. "Surely not Anti-Skill…"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Aleister said. "And who would be better for taking care of espers other than someone who would easily be underestimated?" The Heaven Canceller shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, it is better than being a puppet for the board," Heaven Canceller said. He was going to say something more when a nurse interrupted his call.

"Doctor, come quickly," the nurse urged. The Heaven Canceller heard the line go dead, so he turned to face the nurse.

"What is it?" he asked. The nurse took a breathe before answering.

"It's about the patient Angelica; she is awake."

* * *

Angelica wearily opened her eyes, and she noted instantly that she felt tired, but not the tired from an intense work out. No, it was the mental tired, the tired you get from going through the motions over and over again. She blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust her vision to the room.

She managed after a minute of blinking, and was able to note that the room was dark; she figured it must've been evening. She tilted her head, trying to get her bearings. She could tell that from the noise, the clothing on her, and the cleanliness of the room that she was in a hospital. She sighed, trying to remember why she was in the hospital.

She remembered fragments; a blonde man with glasses, a rail yard, blood on her hands, but it was disorganized, fragmented. She tried to go further back, and it was met with slightly better results. She made out the names and faces of people she knew, eventually knowing that the blonde man was named Marco Toni, her handler.

She began to remember her past operations, her overzealous devotion to Marco, and those she had killed or help kill. She didn't feel anything towards the killing; how could she, considering the fact she killed them with no emotions at the time, and she wasn't even sure she understood her emotions. She then tried to piece together her past memories to her more recent memories, only to face a road block.

She sighed after trying to figure out what had happened five times. She rolled over onto her left side, and watched the door. She figured that however long she was out, someone would notice if she was moving, and so she kept an eye on the door. In a minute, a frog-face doctor walked in with a his hands in his pocket.

"So Angelica, you are awake," the doctor said. "My name's Heaven Canceller." He walked to sit facing her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired sir," Angelica said quietly. "I have been trying to remember my past, on how I ended up here, but I have been failing miserably." Heaven Canceller nodded.

"So what do you remember?" he asked. She recounted everything she knew, save for her missions with Marco. "I see, you suffered short term memory loss. That's normal, all things considered."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Angelica began. "How long have I been in here, and better yet, where am I?"

"You are in Academy City," Heaven Canceller said. "You have been in intensive care for about nine days. Your injuries were severe, you suffered gunshot wounds, knife wounds, a broken arm and hand, and severe blood loss."

Angelica hadn't expected to hear the doctor explain her injuries to her, and she knew that he knew she was a cyborg. She sighed, sinking into the bed a little.

"Sir, what do you know about me?" Angelica asked. She was a part of the SWA, not by choice of course, but she needed to know if she was in danger. The Heaven Canceller saw her mounting fear, and kept a calm face.

"I know you are a part of the SWA, you relations to them unknown to me. However, I know they provided you with cybernetic enhancements and brainwashing." He watched Angelica swallow, taking this in.

"Alright then sir, then what happened to my handler Marco?" Angelica asked. She felt a deep knot growing in her stomach, and she wanted to know the case of her handler, not because she felt any attachment to him now, but rather she wanted to know if she would be returning to the SWA.

"I'm sorry, but the man you were found with, Marco Remaeus, the one probably being your handler, was found dead," Heaven Canceller said. "He was dead on the scene, and you were in critical. Are you feeling alright?"

Angelica couldn't answer, but she motioned for something, and as soon as Heaven Canceller gave her a bucket, she hurled up her stomach content, which wasn't much, but it was bloody. She felt herself shiver, and she cursed the fact that she was weak, and now her handler, the one person she was to protect at all cost, was now dead.

She handed the bucket to the doctor, and laid on her back, with her arms and legs feeling too weak to raise. She looked over at Heaven Canceller.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't think I would get that sick. I apologize for any inconvenience." The doctor shook his head.

"No need to apologize," he said. "However, due to you situation, you must remain in the city." Angelica narrowed her eyes, wondering the cause of this. The doctor continued to explain.

"Due to you have no relatives for you to return to, and obvious signs of brainwashing from your time in the SWA, which by the way was shortening your life, those in power have decided to give you a life here in the city."

Angelica nodded. She knew that a city like Academy City wouldn't squander having someone like her here.

"As a result, we faked your death. Angelica Remaeus and her father died in the rail yard after being witnesses to a arms exchange with ties to the FRF," Heaven Canceller said. "However, this leaves the issue of your name, your past, and where you will be living."

"I know," muttered Angelica wearily. She couldn't believe this; she was used to running into combat situations, yet here she was tired and unable to stay with the doctor!

"Can we continue this in the morning?" Angelica asked. The doctor nodded, and left, leaving Angelica to fall into an uneasy sleep. She dreamt that she hadn't killed anyone, and was going to a school with Henrietta, Rico, Triela, and Claes, with none of them having been the child soldiers they were. But in as her sleep dragged on, she began to remember her devotion to Marco, and felt a tinge of sadness that she felt so devoted to someone who treated her like crap when her memory began to slip.

She tossed and turned, trying to come up with something to fall asleep steadily to, and failed, periodically waking up and falling back asleep. When she woke up for the fifth time, it was morning, and the sun was shining in the room as it rose.

She rolled onto her left side again, and saw a pile of clothes on the chair the doctor sat on. She grabbed them, and noted their plainness. It was a simple blue skirt, with a white shirt and a black vest. She sighed as she took off her medical robes, and began to change. It was when she was putting her skirt on, bending over when the door opened.

She turned to see who it was, and saw a kid with spiky black hair wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans. They both stared at each other, only for the boy to brace himself.

"Sorry," the boy stuttered out. He turned and left quickly, leaving Angelica to wonder why the boy was acting the way he was. She then realized it was because she was getting dressed. She sighed; it was going to be hard to be normal.

After she was dressed, she sat in the chair, uncertain as to what to do. She assumed that Heaven Canceller would come back to visit her, to go over what needed to go over, but there was nothing for her to do. While she was used to boredom, she also had the desire to please Marco and the conditioning to keep her in line.

She sighed, and began going through the mental motions of disassembling and reassembling various Steyr weapons while she waited. She had worked through all the pistols and sub-machine guns when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Angelica said. In walked the Heaven Canceller and a woman who looked familiar to her, but couldn't put a name to her face; must've been someone she knew only very recently. The doctor motioned to the woman.

"Angelica, this is Yomikawa Aiho, a member of Anti-Skill, and the person who got you here," Heaven Canceller said. Angelica nodded.

"Pleased to meet you," Angelica said, shaking Yomikawa's hand. She saw Yomikawa chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad to see you ok," Yomikawa said. "But let's get down to the issue of you being in the city and your new identity." Angelica nodded. This was the reason she had waited patiently.

"The easiest way to work around the fact you have no name or identity is because you are a child error. Thus, no one will question your past. As for your name, I would suggest against Angelica," Yomikawa said. Angelica shook her head.

"I understand being a child error, but I desire to keep my name," she said. "I already had my name changed once, and I don't remember my original name, but I won't lose this name." Angelica knew she had no reason to be attached to the name, but she was. Yomikawa sighed.

"Alright then," Yomikawa said. "Now then, as to where you will be living, until you get a school to take you in, you will be staying at my place." Angelica looked at Yomikawa.

"What do you mean but until a school takes me in?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa sighed.

"I forget Europe doesn't usually have dorms for their students to stay at. Well, in Academy City, the schools you go to provide you with a dorm and an amount of money to help support you, in exchange for you going to their school and taking part in their research projects."

"I see," Angelica said. "What decides what school I go to?" This time, the Heaven Canceller responded.

"All students in Academy City, barring those with exceptions, go through the Power Curriculum Project, to determine their esper abilities and level. This is the main determining factor, but there are the usual exams and tests to pass through."

Angelica felt her heart pace increase at the mention of espers. In Italy, they weren't mentioned much, if often, due to the chaos the FRF was causing back home. But she knew that espers were supposed to be very powerful, though the extent of them wasn't covered, as espers didn't leave Academy City often, if at all.

"What does that entail?" Angelica asked. She was hesitant at facing the unknown, and since she didn't have the brain washing to make her compliant anymore, she didn't have the usual pep to get her into gear. But the Heaven Canceller smiled.

"Well, it has multiple components. There are the tests and lectures that schools provide, but there are also drugs, brain stimulations, and in some cases hypnosis," the Heaven Canceller explained. "But don't worry, it is safe."

Angelica sighed; the thought of mind alterations did bother her, but if it was required for her to stay in the city, so be it.

"Alright, when will I be forced to take the Power Curriculum Program?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa spoke.

"Probably the day after tomorrow," Yomikawa said. "For today, I will get you situated at my place, and tomorrow I will show you around town." Angelica nodded, while the heaven Canceller handed Angelica a bottle.

"It's pain medication," Heaven Canceller said. "If you experience any pain, take one every four hours. It doesn't cause fatigue, so don't worry about it affecting you." Angelica checked the bottle and saw she had a couple days worth.

"Thank you sir," Angelica said, sliding the bottle into her pocket. "Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" Heaven Canceller was about to shake his head when Yomikawa spoke.

"Yes, what about your family name?" Yomikawa asked. "I know you don't know your original name, but you can't go around being called Angelica."

Angelica nodded, and also realized that she could adopt a local name due to her being Italian and not Japanese. She pondered the most common names and smiled.

"What about Costa?" Angelica suggested. "It's amongst the top twenty most common Italian surnames, so it would be easy to hide my true identity." Heaven Canceller chuckled.

"Costa Angelica, or Costal Angel, sounds nice," he said. "Well, I will file the paperwork while you and Ms. Yomikawa head home for the afternoon." He then left the room, leaving Yomikawa and Angelica alone. Angelica saw Yomikawa brush her hair out of her face, and knelt down to Angelica.

"Angelica, you ready to get out of here?" Yomikawa asked. Angelica nodded. "Alright then, a few ground rules first."

"First, don't tell anyone you don't trust that you are a cyborg," Yomikawa said. "There are too many people in this city that would literally hack you up to get ahold of the technology you have." Angelica nodded, and from the tone of Yomikawa's voice she could tell the danger was real.

"Second, don't attack anyone. If you must defend yourself, don't kill them, as it will raise too many questions." Angelica again nodded, but she wondered what the odds of her getting into a fight in this city were. If it was serious enough to warrant an warning, it must be pretty common, which would indicate a incapable police system.

"Finally, never ever try to take on a level 5 esper," Yomikawa said. "They are a walking one man army, and any fight with one will result in a disaster for you." Angelica didn't nod, thinking why a city would create espers strong enough to challenge in army, only to realize that was the entire point; if you had such a powerful weapon, you could wield a lot of sway. It was like MAD, but instead of nuclear weapons it was a force of very powerful espers.

"Yes Yomikawa," Angelica said. "I won't do anything too brash then." She saw the blue hair woman sigh.

"Alright then, let's get out of here," Yomikawa said, getting up and holding onto Angelica's hands, walking her out of the room. Angelica was left in her thoughts, wondering what was awaiting her.

* * *

Angelica was following shortly behind Yomikawa as they entered an apartment complex, and Yomikawa led to her room. Angelica noted that while it was on the 13th floor, the elevator was quick to get to the top and the hallways weren't so narrow. She noted that the apartment complex appeared clean, and thus it was well maintained.

Yomikawa opened the door to her flat, and gestured Angelica to come in.

"This is my place," Yomikawa said, while Angelica entered. She instantly noticed that the place was meticulously cleaned, almost as though it was done just before Yomikawa came to pick her up. She noted that there was a TV, a couch, air conditioning, and a few other things to make the place lively.

Angelica walked into the kitchen, and noted that while it had a number of appliances, the one most used by its state was a rice cooker. She explored a bit, finding that there was several alcoholic drinks in a special case that kept all of the drinks to their ideal temperature, and that the place had four rooms, on top of the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room.

"So, what do you think?" Yomikawa asked. "pretty nice huh?" Angelica had to agree, it was better than her dorm to which she had to share with the other cyborgs. She felt a tinge of sadness thinking about them; they were the closest things to friends she had.

"Yes, this is nice, but I wonder, is it usually this clean?" Angelica asked. She saw Yomikawa break into a short sweat, so she continued. "This place looked like it was just clean, but from your choice in drinks, the only use of the rice cooker, and the fact you must be busy from your work at Anti-Skill must mean you usually don't have time to keep the place clean, is that right?"

"Well, you see," Yomikawa tried to explain, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. "I do try and keep the place clean, but usually when I get annoyed, I do a cleanup of the place."

"I see, you clean when you are stressed out," Angelica said. She sat down on the couch, while she thought of what to do. If she was to be honest, she didn't do much back at the SWA, other than train and read. She scanned Yomikawa's shelves, and saw not many books. She sighed, wondering what to do.

"I suppose so," Yomikawa said. She turned to head to the bathroom. "Angelica, I am going to take a shower. If you want, you can watch the TV." With that, Yomikawa left Angelica alone, and Angelica turned the TV on.

She channeled surfed a while, growing annoyed with the selections of channels. She passed through the channels meant for children as they rubbed her the wrong way. While Triela might've like teddy bears and Henrietta liked being treated well by Jose, Henrietta didn't have the same sentiment. Though she had to admit, her new opinion was probably as a result of being finally able to objective her existence.

She passed several news channels, only to stumble upon a channel where they were discussing a new firearm from Steyr. Interested in her favorite arm manufacturer, Angelica turned the volume up, and watched as the spokes-person compared the difference between the Aug A3 and the new AUG A5.

Of the major changes was a switch from the standard 5.56mm NATO round to a new 8x50mm high velocity impact rounds. Also the A5 came with an integrated infrared night vision scope that was capable of magnification of five times normal vision. The biggest change though was that the A5 was integrally suppressed, and that it barely broke 90 decibels.

She watched the channel for two hours, not paying attention to the fact that Yomikawa was now out of the shower and was making dinner, to engrossed with the other weapon line up. She saw that there was a new Styer IWS-2000 model coming out, one that incorporated a ten round magazine and a new high explosive incendiary round.

She was about to watch a segment on an aftermarket part to make the M-series of pistol capable of firing 10mm auto when the door opened. Angelica turned to the door and saw a woman with pink hair and wearing a pink skirt. The woman, if she could be called that, was shorter than Angelica, and Angelica wondered who she was.

But a moment later, Yomikawa walked and chuckled, upon seeing Angelica torn between staying still and kicking the child out of the room. She rested a hand on Angelica's shoulder.

"Angelica, this is my friend and fellow teacher Tsukuyomi Komoe," Yomikawa said, introducing Angelica to the short teacher.

"Nice to meet you Angelica," Komoe said. "I heard you were orphaned very recently." Angelica glanced at Yomikawa, who nodded. _Must be a part of my cover, _Angelica thought, and she nodded.

"Yes," Angelica confirmed. "Though why are you here?" She saw Komoe walk into the kitchen, while Yomikawa followed. Angelica, slightly irritated at being ignored, followed Yomikawa, who began dishing up dinner.

It was a simple meal consisting of rice, grilled fish, and steam vegetables. Angelica dug in, considerable hungry, but she was at a lost at the meal. She wasn't used to Asian cusine, and thought that the choice of food was different, to say the least. But as she looked at Yomikawa and Komoe, who were enjoying the meal with a couple of beers, Angelica knew this would become the new norm.

When she was about to poke at the fish, Komoe turned to Angelica.

"Sorry for not answering you question, I just had to deal with some students who needed to make up their work, and it ran longer than expected," Komoe said. "But as to your question-"

"Let me guess," Yomikawa interrupted. "You were making them playing poker blindfolded, weren't you?" Komoe sighed.

"If they aren't going to pay attention or keep up, I might as well find some way to make the study period interesting," Komoe said. "But back to your question Angelica, I am here to go over how to become an esper with you tonight."

Angelica looked at the woman and wondered if this was a joke. How could someone so short and child-like be able to instruct her on becoming an esper. But Komoe continued.

"I have a degree in chemistry, and I specialize in pyrokinesis, the Esper School of manipulating fire," Komoe said. "And I teach high schoolers on how to become espers, though most of them are slackers. "

"I understand," Angelica said, not really understanding. Weren't teachers supposed to instill a sense of discipline in their students? She then mentally added a note that this was the SWA, and that life outside of there is radically different. She then listened to Komoe.

"To become an esper, you must tap into your personal reality," Komoe said. "Through various combinations of methods and techniques, a person can create a reality separated from the reality of this world. In doing so, they can manifest their powers into the real world."

Angelica thought about this, and wondered what it meant. Did it mean that with enough self-delusion and will, a person can force their thoughts into reality? She needed to clarify this.

"So, does that mean a person with enough self-delusion can create their 'power' and make it real?" Angelica asked. Komoe shrugged.

"Sort of. A way to look at it is that you mold your reality with the world's reality; in that you can create your power in this world and affect others," Komoe explained. "If there wasn't an interaction with personal reality and the world reality, then a person's ability wouldn't be able to manifest and become observable."

Angelica began to get a clearer picture, but she refrained from talking as Komoe explained the finer nuisances of personal reality's and the Power Curriculum Program. After a solid hour of being lecture, there were some things that Angelica could understand.

The first was that a personal reality bypassed the Uncertainty Principle, and a person could directly affect the outcome of their power. If it was equated to an example; if there was a cat in a box with poison, an esper could influence the outcome of the cat's fate before opening the box.

The second is that personal reality can be trained. As Komoe explained, low level espers can become very powerful with dedication, belief, and training. This made Angelica a bit relieved, considering that she had been given a drive that compelled her forward in spite of events around her. If her will was a determine factor, she could become an esper in spades.

Angelica was finishing her meal as Yomikawa looked at the time.

"Well, Angelica, I figure that you have had enough lecturing at the moment, so how about you retire for the night and ponder what Komoe said?" Yomikawa suggested.

"Alright," Angelica said, getting up to put her plate in the sink. She put the plate in, and began to head out of the kitchen when she paused. "Yomikawa, which bed will I use?" Angelica asked.

"The one closest to the door," Yomikawa said while opening yet another beer. Angelica headed out, and heard both Komoe and Yomikawa begin a loud conversation regarding who had the worse students. She sighed and opened the bedroom door, to find a simple twin size bed and a small closest. She took off her clothes, and put on a night dress that was in the closest, surprised that it fit.

She rolled into bed and yawned, tired from the talk with Komoe. She rolled onto her side, and began to think about what would happen tomorrow, and what exactly she and Yomikawa would be up to. She closed her eyes, and began thinking of what she would want to be able to do with her esper abilities.

She pondered the possibilities, from controlling electricity to teleportation, but her mind kept shifting back to the idea of controlling fire and fuel. She saw herself standing amidst a fire storm, with explosions ringing in her ear. She tried to shut it off, reminding her too much of her missions in the SWA, but it kept coming back.

She then tried to clear her mind, and began to imagine a blank world, one empty except for her sleeping form. She soon fell into the lulls of deep sleep.

* * *

Angelica was abruptly awoken by Yomikawa. Angelica sat up, and rubbed her eyes.

"Yomikawa, what is it?" Angelica asked. She stole a glance at the clock, which informed her it was eight in the morning. Yomikawa then handed Angelica a new pair of clothes.

"Angelica, we are heading out today so we can go shopping and so you can get to know the area better," Yomikawa said. "Now please, get dressed, because we have a bit to cover." Yomikawa left, leaving Angelica alone to dress. She quickly got dressed, donning what she wore after getting out of the hospital. She then exited the bedroom, and saw Yomikawa was gathering her purse and keys.

"Ah, you ready Angelica?" Yomikawa asked. Angelica nodded, and Yomikawa lead the way to her car. In a few moments, they were in Yomikawa's car, and Yomikawa began to drive.

"So Angelica, how are you adjusting?" Yomikawa asked, as she drove. Angelica shrugged.

"I feel different," Angelica said. "I don't have this over-developed need to please Marco, and I am able to objectively think, but it's odd still." Yomikawa frowned.

"I have been wondering," Yomikawa began to say. "When you were with the SWA, did you kill often?" Angelica nodded.

"Yes, but if you were going to ask if I took pleasure in it, I don't think so; rather I took pleasure in the gratitude that I was given by my handler," Angelica tried to explain. She found that being free of the conditioning made her repulsed the idea of being controlled so easily.

"I can't believe that people would do that to you," Yomikawa said disgusted. "What made them think they should turn little girls into soldiers?" Angelica shrugged again.

"I believe they thought the maxim 'the ends justified the means' applied," Angelica stated bluntly. "I don't regret what I did, I was being shot out and I wasn't in control, but looking back, I don't think it could ever be justified."

Yomikawa glanced at the girl, smiling at the statement. Thankfully Angelica was responding much better than she feared, as she wasn't suicidal. She pulled off the highway and parked at the entrance to district 7's underground mall.

"C'mon Angelica," Yomikawa said. "They have a couple of clothes shops down here." Angelica followed Yomikawa down into the mall, surprised by the sheer size of it. While she knew that Japan had limited space, she thought the high earthquake activity would've prohibited a mall the size of this one.

"How does this mall withstand the structural problems with being in an earthquake prone area?" Angelica asked, curious about the construction method. Yomikawa shrugged.

"I don't know the specifics, but due to the lack of land above ground, Academy City has built several areas to test underground construction methods," Yomikawa explained. "So I bet a lot of engineers had many sleepless nights making sure this mall was safe."

Angelica nodded, and they walked into a shop that offered a wide selection of clothing. Angelica followed Yomikawa in, where Yomikawa chuckled.

"Look Angelica, you can pick your own clothes out," Yomikawa said, giving Angelica a soft push into the store. "I will be in the woman's section getting some new shirts, so come to me if you have any questions." With that, Yomikawa walked off, leaving Angelica to head off on her own.

She began by looking at some shirts. She made sure she got the right size first, before looking at how they looked. Most of the shirts here were either plain or extremely tacky. Angelica brushed past a large swath of the selection before finding a shirt that she liked. It was a black long sleeve shirt with gray sleeves. She tried it on, and found that it was extremely soft.

After picking a couple of those shirts, she headed to find some jeans. While she didn't mind wearing a skirt, she thought the ones she was wearing were a bit short for her liking. As she drew near the jeans however, she could hear someone complaining loudly.

"Argh, why can't they have anything modern?" whined someone. As Angelica came into view of the person, she saw that she had pink hair like Komoe, but she had her hair in twin pigtails, and she was defiantly about the same age as Angelica. Angelica observed the girl as she skipped over the jeans and many of the skirts. But in a moment, the girl turned her attention to Angelica.

"Um, who are you?" The girl asked. Angelica shrugged.

"Costa Angelica," Angelica said, making sure she got her name in the common Japanese format. She extended her hand to the girl, who accepted the gesture.

"Kuroko Shirai," the girl said. "So, are you visiting the city?" Angelica paused, before remembering she looked out of place in the city.

"No, my father died and I am now living in the city," Angelica said. "I am going to start the necessary processing to go to school here tomorrow, but today I am out shopping for new clothes." The girl nodded.

"I'm sorry about your loss," Kuroki said. "But if it makes you feel any better, this city has everything you could ever need." Angelica nodded.

"I know, but still, it is odd not having my father around," Angelica said. She knew that if it came down to details that she would be made, so she kept it to a bare minimum. "So how long have you been in the city?" Kuroko smiled.

"A couple of years now," Kuroko said. "Hey, want to see something I can do?" Angelica nodded, and Kuroko grabbed a pair of pants. Before Angelica could realize what was going on, the pants were on top of her head, forcing Angelica to remove them.

"What the- how did you do that?" Angelica blurted out, confused. Kuroko smiled.

"I'm a level 3 teleporter; I can move objects a short distance, that is if I have contact with them," Kuroko said. "I can't teleport myself yet, but I intend to be a Level 4, and possibly a Level 5 soon." Angelica smiled at Kuroko's confidence.

"That must be nice to have," Angelica said. She then began to wonder. "Er, how many abilities are there?" Kuroko shrugged, raising her hands in the air.

"Who knows?" Kuroko asked rhetorically. "There are so many abilities, each one unique in their own right, that trying to determine them is a fool's folly. That said, there are certain schools of esper abilities that share similar models. So instance, you have electro-masters, which revolve around the manipulation of electricity. However, you have some that focus solely on the manipulation of electric fields while others can affect electromagnetic fields."

"Alright, then can you influence what ability you have?" Angelica asked. She wondered if she could influence what ability she got, so she could be prepared for what she was going to do. But Kuroko shook her heads.

"Sorry, but your personal reality determines your ability, and you can't create a personal reality before taking the Power Curriculum Program," Kuroko said. "Though I can see why you would ask, sometimes espers get an ability they rather not have and are discouraged to continue developing it."

"Okay," Angelica said, and she turned to look at the selection of jeans the store had. She sulked at all the jeans were too big for her. "Argh, they don't have any in my size." Kuroko looked at Angelica confused.

"Why would you want to wear jeans?" Kuroko asked. Angelica sighed.

"Because I rather wear something other than skirts all the time," Angelica said. Kuroko chuckled at the response.

"Well, take it from me, but most of the school uniforms for girls involved skirts," Kuroko informed Angelica. "So get used to wearing skirts while you can."

Angelica then looked at the skirts, and tried to find ones that went to her knee, but Kuroko kept trying to convince her that she should get one a bit shorter than that. Angelica had to a couple of times argue against wearing short skirts, ones that barely covered anything, but she found that hanging out with Kuroko was enjoyable.

After finally finding a couple of skirts that looked good on her, Angelica began to try and find Yomikawa. She was surprised that Kuroko was following her.

"So," Kuroko began. "What are you up to now?" Angelica wondered if she should try and lose Kuroko, but she knew that the shop was too small to effectively lose Kuroko.

"I am going to find my guardian now," Angelica explained. "I don't have money of my own, so she is footing the bill."

"Ah, that's right, you haven't gotten into a school yet," Kuroko said. She looked at her cell phone and sighed. "Hey, I got to go; would you happen to have a phone to exchange numbers with?" Angelica shook her head.

"No, I never had a cell phone," Angelica said. Kuroko sulked a bit, before returning to her normal self.

"Well, maybe we can hang out sometime," Kuroko suggested. "But anyway, good luck with your entrence exams!" With that, the pink hair girl ran off, leaving Angelica to find Yomikawa. When she finally did, Yomikawa was grumbling about the cost of a shirt she wanted.

"Hi Angelica, got what you wanted?" Yomikawa asked, looking at the price tag, trying very hard not to wince at the price. When Angelica nodded, Yomikawa sighed; she regretted having not attended the young girl when shopping.

* * *

Sitting down behind his desk reading the report given to him by Academy City's police force, Pieri glared at the state of the report. He lost Marco Toni and Angelica, according to the report, to a couple of arms dealers that were supplying the FRF. The dealers were killed, but the injuries that Marco and Angelica suffered were deem too extreme, and they both expired before arriving at the hospital.

But while this was the report's story, Pieri knew better. He looked across his desk to Jean, who had read the report.

"It's obvious that Academy City thinks they can pull a fast one on us," Pieri said disgusted. "I have no doubt that Marco is dead, but Angelica, well despite her flaws, she is tough to kill." Jean nodded.

"She was picked because of her mental instability though sir," Jean countered. "Even if they have managed to stabilize her condition, she is mentally unfit for them. So the only risk is they got ahold of our cybernetic enhancements; but those were our older models. The second generation of cyborgs are about to come onto the field, and they make Angelica's cybernetics look like high school science fair project."

"While you are correct, the fact she fell into their hands and they are lying about it means they have something planned," Pieri said. He set the report down and leaned in his chair. He was contemplating what he should do.

"You fear they may try and reverse engineer the technology and use it to gain even more of a lead?" Jean asked. Pieri nodded. "Even if they did reverse engineer the cybernetics, it won't be on par to what we have, due to the wear and tear on her body sir."

Pieri shook his head, and looked out of the window. He knew that Academy City would be smart enough to figure a way around the problem's surrounding her body's conditions. He began to think of damage control, a way to mitigate the advantage that Academy City would have. He then smiled as he thought of an idea.

"Jean, are there any elements of the FRF that are looking like they might split apart from the main faction?" Pieri asked. Jean paused, trying to figure out Pieri's game, but he nodded.

"A couple sir," Jean confirmed. "There is a group in Venice that are disagreeing with the lack of large scale attacks in the South, and then there is the free lancers the FRF hire. Why do you ask sir?"

Pieri chuckled, the idea forming in his head most certainly one that could work.

"Jean, this must remain in this room," Pieri said. "No informing the others, not even your brother."

"I understand sir," Jean said, though if he was honest, he was growing a bit nervous by Pieri's choice of words and his expression.

"Very good," Pieri said. "Officially, the SWA can't enter Academy City, however, we must not allow Academy City to keep ahold of Angelica. Thus, I want you to exploit the FRF connection in Academy City and get them to send a few people to either eliminate or capture Angelica."

Jean felt himself clenching his fist under the desk. How could they use terrorist to support their operations?! But he kept his face calm, looking straight into Pieri's eyes.

"And how exactly am I to do that?" Jean asked. Pieri chuckled.

"Simple, give them an offer too good to refuse," Pieri said. "I don't expect you to keep the terrorist alive after they do our dirty work, so give them whatever the hell they want, for they won't be alive long enough to enjoy it."

Jean smiled; this was Pieri he knew. He understood the need for secrecy, but in the end, they would kill two birds with one stone. He excused himself, and began thinking of ways to motivate the terrorist into acting like pawns.

* * *

**Author's Notes: The end of another chapter! I like to give a shout out to those who are following and favoriting the story;**

**-JLee118**

**-Kar Blackheart**

**-Triser**

**-tsun**

**Now onto the reviews! **

**-tsun: with regards to your questions, I will answer them in order. The story will involve the dark side of the city, to what extent I am still playing with a few ideas, but it will be dark for Angelica. As for the Accelerator, Touma, and Shiage, they will appear, and they will have their own interaction with Angelica, but not in the next chapter. Next chapter will be dedicated to Angelica getting her personal reality and her first system scan, where we will see her ability in action. As for the railgun girls, we already met Kuroko, and we will meet the others throughout the course of the story. For the things about the Kiharas and Accelerator, they will become a major component to the story, as the Kiharas are the diabolical mad scientists willingly to do anything for science. And Accelerator is too awesome to ignore, and his interactions with Angelica will be unique, to say the least.**

**If you guys have any questions regarding the story, feel free to PM me or to leave them in a review. Otherwise, as always, please follow, favorite, and review! **


	3. Chapter Two: System Scan and enrollment

Chapter Two: SYSTEM scan and enrollment

* * *

Angelica awoke early the next day, having only spent six hours asleep as she was forced into bed by Yomikawa after studying for several hours for the entrance exams and to prepare for the Power Curriculum Program. She got into her black and gray shirt and her red skirt, and combed her hair straight to get the knots out of it. When she was done, she headed out to the kitchen.

She saw that Yomikawa was still asleep, and Angelica noted that while it was six thirty in the morning. She didn't have to leave for another hour and a half, but Angelica felt tireless. Her mind was in overdrive, thinking back to all the study books that Yomikawa had gotten for her the day before, and she was wondering how much she would have to apply of it today.

She grabbed a glass of water and sat at the table, unused to this anxiety. The conditioning made her stable in the face of the unknown, and not having to deal with the issue of anxiety was new to Angelica. She decided to visualize the construction of several Steyr firearms, to break them down and reassemble them. It did calm her down after she got out of the Glocks, but not enough to get something to eat.

She took a drink of the water, and began to repeat the process until Yomikawa awoke. Yomikawa staggered into the kitchen, only wearing a long white shirt to cover herself, and only noticed Angelica when she turned around after getting ice tea from the fridge.

"Oh, how long have you been there?" Yomikawa asked in the middle of a yawn. Angelica shrugged.

"Since six thirty," Angelica said. "I woke up early and could calm myself enough to go back to sleep."

"Um, you sure you will have gotten enough sleep?" Yomikawa asked. "Because that means you only got six hours…"

"It's fine," Angelica cut in. "Due to my cybernetic enhancements, sleep isn't as pressing a concern as it might be for someone my age." Yomikawa shook her head.

"But still, that isn't natural," Yomikawa stated. She couldn't believe how much cybernetic work went into Angelica, but what disturbed her even more was how used to it Angelica was to it.

"Don't all the enhancements bother you?" Yomikawa asked, sitting opposite of Angelica. Angelica thought about it for a moment. On one hand, it had been done against her will, but on the other it was beneficial to her.

"Not really; sure I didn't have a say in it, but it comes in handy quite a bit," Angelica said. Yomikawa sighed.

"Fair enough," she said. After she finished her ice tea, Yomikawa stood up. "I am going to get dressed and we might as well head to school early." Angelica watched as Yomikawa walked out of the kitchen, leaving her to ponder why Yomikawa was so uncomfortable with Angelica being a cyborg. Was it the lack of ethics that the SWA showed to her, making her a child soldier, or was it something else?

But Angelica pushed the thoughts aside, beginning to prepare herself for the day's events, and soon Yomikawa is dressed. Yomikawa motions for Angelica to follow her out and they begin heading to her car. However, as they enter the car, a question is raised in Angelica's mind.

"Yomikawa," Angelica began. "Where am I being tested, and how long will this take?" Yomikawa chuckled.

"Well, for the school entrance exams, that should take about four hours and you will be taking it at Nagatenjouki Academy," Yomikawa started to explain. "You Power Curriculum Program will also take place there, but due to the process, you will need to stay overnight and most of tomorrow."

"I see," Angelica said. "Will the process be painful?" Yomikawa shook her head, taking a turn sharply.

"Nah, from what I heard, it's rather calming," Yomikawa said. "But they are going to give you a lot of drugs and they will pile on the information using a Testament machine, so you will be a bit disoriented for an hour or so afterwards."

Angelica looked at Yomikawa confused upon hearing about the Testament machine. How could a machine deliver information to a person? She thought to ask, but for some reason kept mute. She didn't want to sound intruding, and she wasn't sure Yomikawa could give her the specifics like she wanted.

After a quiet drive, Yomikawa parked outside an impressive looking school, and Angelica looked at it. It was easily ten stories tall, with several buildings on the campus. The buildings were of modern design, with no attention paid to enhancing the look of the buildings. It reminded Angelica of the SWA; advance but not wasting efforts on frivolous details.

She got out of the car and followed Yomikawa, who was leading her to a woman around Yomikawa's age. Angelica observed her, and noticed she had brown hair and was wearing a yellow vest over a black shirt. Her light blue eyes stared at Angelica, as if gauging her. Angelica wondered who she was, only for Yomikawa to introduce her to the woman.

"Angelica, this is Jounan Asako, the Power Developer Supervisor for Nagatenjouki Academy," Yomikawa said. "Ms. Jounan, this is Costa Angelica, the child that is to take the entrance exam and enroll in the PCP."

Angelica saw Jounan smile at her, though it was a cold and formal smile rather than a heartwarming smile.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Costa," Jounan said, extending her hand. "I hope you do well on your exams and the PCP is a success." Angelica shook her hand, but was skeptical of Jounan's intentions. But Jounan motioned her to follow her, so Angelica went, looking back to see Yomikawa waving good-bye. Angelica felt a bit sad that Yomikawa wasn't going to be there for her, but she knew that Yomikawa had her work to get to.

Angelica turned her attention to Jounan, who had her hands behind her back. Jounan began to talk to Angelica.

"Ms. Costa, due to the amount of work ahead of you, you will begin with the exams. There are three areas of education we will be testing; language, mathematics, and science. Each one will cover a broader array of subjects, to gauge your competency."

"After that, you will be lead to the track to get a baseline physical performance. This will include cardio, muscular, and flexibility performances. This will be tied into your System Scan, assuming your ability applies to your performance."

Angelica had heard a bit about the System Scan, but she was uncertain as to its purpose.

"Ms. Jounan, how does the System Scan work?" Angelica asked. Jounan chuckled.

"Well, the first one you take will be determine if you have an ability and what level you are at," she began to explain. "Once those factors have been determined, we measure your AIM field and monitor the progression of your ability. The System Scan is designed to indicate if the method's applied are working and what level the esper is."

"I see," Angelica said. That explanation made a bit of sense, so she continued to listen to Jounan explain what was next.

"After your physical exams, you will be lead to the medical lab where you will be hooked up to a Testament machine and given a series of drugs through an IV drip for a duration lasting twelve hours. After an hour or two of rest, you will then take your system scan, to determine your level and ability."

Angelica processed the amount of time, and realized that Yomikawa was correct; she would be staying the night here in the academy and she didn't know how long it would take after that to be dismissed. She groaned internally, not looking forward to the exams and the testing.

She followed Jounan to a room where Angelica could see a couple of soon to be students, some her age and some older, were waiting to begin. Angelica paid them attention, and noticed that most of them were laid back and social. She debated if this was a bad thing, but she couldn't come to a sound conclusion.

She took a seat in the back of the classroom, away from the others due to her experience in the SWA kicking in. She tried to make her presence as little as possible, but she could tell that many of the students had noticed her appearance and had begun to talk about her. She ignored them and focused solely on Jounan, who was in the front of the class.

"Alright everyone, enough chatter," Jounan said, quieting the room immediately. Angelica recognized the tone as one Marco would use when he was instructing her on the use of a new firearm. Angelica cringed at the memory; it was one of the few times Marco showed compassion for her, at least in the sense he didn't want her getting harmed by a weapon.

"In a few moments, you will be handed a test to begin your entrance exams," Jounan announced. "You will have an hour and a half to complete each section. Answer as many questions as you can, but you may skip questions to go back to them later. Any cheating will disqualify you instantly, and you will be kicked out of Academy City. If you complete a section early, you may turn it in to me and wait quietly at your desk."

Angelica could see a couple of the students moan at this information, but Angelica couldn't see why. If they were in the city, didn't that mean they had decent test scores to enter the city, and thus the exam shouldn't be a problem?

But Angelica thought about herself, and wondered how she would fare. She was taught like the other cyborgs at the SWA in standard courses, but she doubt the education was the same as a formal education provided by public schooling. For one thing, she was taught how to clear out a building of terrorist, taught politics and history, things like applied in counter-terrorism. She doubt this knowledge would apply to the exam.

But she wasn't given much time to self-lament as Jounan began to handed out the examines, and Angelica began. The first examine was language, something Angelica was proud the SWA had enforced in spades. She was excellent at speaking several European languages, and due to some enhancements, she could quickly identify the language and speak fluently.

While the exam was in Japanese, due to Marco's training and some conditioning, she had been taught enough about Japanese to understand the exam and the nature of the questions. She answered the questions as quickly as possible, and she finished with just a shy under ten minutes to spare, only due to being unused to writing in Japanese.

Following that was mathematics, to which covered standard algebra all the way to calculus. Angelica did well with algebra, geometry, and statistics, but began to struggle with the higher end calculus and analysis questions. She barely got through half the questions in both areas before time ran out, and she hadn't gotten to operational research questions, to which there were only three questions for.

Finally came science, and surprisingly Angelica did well here. Her understanding of biology due to her time in the SWA made her breeze through it. Next came earth and space science, which was easy in its own right, but she knew she got some things wrong on it. Following that was chemistry and physics. Angelica was surprised how easily chemistry came to her, though she chalked this up with understanding the methods behind bomb creations. While the SWA didn't usually handle disarming of explosives, it could come up and so the cyborgs were taught how to identify and neutralize various explosive devices and how they were made.

She was about halfway through the physics when a timer range, signaling the end of the exams. She yawned, stretching her arms and handing her exam to Jounan as she passed. Jounan briefly looked at the exam before giving Angelica a brief smile.

Angelica could see that the older students grumbling about the nature of the exams, and almost everyone was glad that it was over. Angelica was glad she wasn't being mentioned, but before she could think any more of it, Jounan spoke.

"Alright everyone, onto the track!" she barked out, and lead all the students, Angelica included to the track. Angelica could see that the Academy afforded the best, with a suitable track, several exercise equipment, and finally a couple of Olympic size pools.

Jounan ordered the students to the track, and Angelica began to feel confident in her ability to outrun them, but she then remembered her one issue of being clumsy. She shook herself, trying to focus on the objective and not her past flaws.

"You will have twenty minutes to run around the track as many times as possible!" Jounan shouted out. She pulled out a start gun. "On three, two, one, start!" Jounan fired the pistol, and Angelica began her endurance run.

While she wasn't as fast initially as some of the older students, she was able to compensate by not tiring at the pace she was running. She saw the fast sprinters start to falter after a hard and fast five minutes, and Angelica used her enhancements to the fullest, gaining laps on most of the other students. She kept a steady pace around the quarter of a kilometer track, making sure she didn't change her tempo.

With only a minute left to go, Angelica attempted to spring to finish the lap, but when she got to the final bend, she took the edge too sharply and she lost her footing. Her right foot, which was over extended, slide underneath her and she crashed face first into the track. She didn't have time to brace for the impact, and she felt the full force of the tumble.

She scraped her legs and arms, and she bruised her nose. Slowly getting up, she heard the starting pistol go off again, signaling the end of the endurance run. She check her scrapes; they weren't seriously, just a little bit of bleeding, but they stung. She walked over to where Jounan was, who were waiting on the other students to finish the lap up.

"Ms. Costa, are you okay?" Jounan asked as Angelica walked up to her. "I saw your tumble at the end." Angelica nodded.

"Yeah, just a few scrapes is all," Angelica said. Jounan chuckled.

"Well, you already appear tougher than most of the kids here," Jounan said. "Seriously, how out of shape can these kids be?" Jounan then handed Angelica a couple of band-aids for the scrapes, to which Angelica thanked her for.

"No problem," Jounan said. She then turned to the entire group, who the vast majority of them were breathing quite heavily. She told them that they were going to start the timed exercises. Angelica was glad, because these would be fast and simple for her.

Beginning with push-ups, Angelica was able to knock out around eighty five push-ups in two minutes. Following that she did one hundred sit-ups in two minutes. She could see some of the older guys do similar scores, but not like her. They were complaining about their muscles burning, which Angelica could ignore due to her muscles being designed to handle rigorous physical exercises.

They then began the flexibility exams. Almost everyone had an easy time with this, as it consisted of seeing how far one could stretch their body before they 'snapped back'. Angelica did average here, her cybernetics not giving her any advantage in this part of the exam.

As they concluded the physical exams, Angelica yawned, and wanted the day to be over. She could tell that is was approaching two in the afternoon. She then saw Jounan calling everyone to follow her, and she assumed it was now time to begin the PCP. Angelica felt herself stiffen as she walked behind the group, wondering if the PCP was anything like the conditioning she had went through at the SWA.

She walked into the lab, and saw several machines that looked like they were a virtual reality heads-up display generators. The VR HUD headsets were connected to the table, which she could followed the wiring to another room, where she suspected a supercomputer was running through its programs. She was walking to the door when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

She turned to see an elderly looking man smiling at her. He had parting gray hair, and he looked like he was in his eighties. He wore a lab coat, and he seemed the stereotypical image of the Asian wise man.

"Where do you think you are heading to?" the elderly man asked calmly. Angelica calmed her heart rate down and prevented herself from stuttering, just to make sure the man didn't find a reason to kick her out.

"I was curious about what was in that room sir," Angelica politely responded. "Am I not allowed in there?" The man chuckled, before he turned her around and walked her over to one of the tables.

"Well, curiosity is what drives this city," the man said. "However, that room is kept locked during the Power Curriculum Program to keep the supercomputer that is in there at a steady negative thirty Celsius." He then motioned Angelica to get on the table.

"Now then, who might you be?" the elderly man asked. Angelica felt something was off, but she couldn't express her concern, she had no one backing her. At this moment, Angelica felt a tinge of sadness for not having Marco with her, making sure she was safe.

"I'm Costa Angelica," she responded. The man smiled at this for some unknown reason to Angelica.

"Well, I am Kihara Gensei," the elderly man said. "I am the head researcher of the Kihara Research Institute, but I am here to oversee the progression of the PCP today." Angelica nodded. The man then looked up to a two way mirror that overlooked the room.

"Well, I will allow Ms. Jounan to explain the procedure to you and the others," Gensei said. "Good luck with your SYSTEM Scan after the PCP." He then left, leaving Angelica to turn her attention to Jounan.

"Alright everyone, now please place the helmet component over your head," Jounan instructed the group. As Angelica placed it over her head, Jounan explained what was going to happen.

"When the program starts, you will be given the information needed to form a Personal Reality. While this is happening, an IV drip containing various drugs will enter your blood stream, helping to collaborate the data into chemical systems that your brain can interpret. This will take upwards of sixteen hours."

Angelica barely heard the last bit, as the program began, and she felt a surge of information pouring into her brain. She tried to keep up with the information, and at times she struggled to keep up, but somehow the information would slow down for her to catch up, only to speed back up.

While this was happening, behind a two way mirror, three people looked down on the students, each with their own opinions of the group of students.

* * *

Kihara Amata looked down at the lab floor, disgusted with the performance of easily three quarters of the students.

"Damn rats," Amata muttered. "Most of them have no potential just from the results of their physicals and entrance exams, so why are we wasting resources on them?"

While his disgust would be looked down by other people, he was at least accurate in his statement. Most of the students failed horrifically during the higher level math and science test, which would hamper their ability to calculate their ability and understand all of the ability's applications. And the physical, well to say the least, it was a disaster for most.

But Gensei was smiling, a bit hunched over as he looked at a couple of the students.

"True, but even rats have their uses," Gensei countered. "And we have a couple of hopefuls here, for instance the cyborg you missed by literally minutes." Gensei could tell from the file Aleister had given the Kihara Clan on the suspected super soliders the SWA was making that Costa Angelica was indeed the cyborg Aleister was looking for.

"Not my fault that when I was told about super soldiers I didn't think of god damn elementary girls," Amata spat out. "I mean, wouldn't it be better to apply the technology to a full grown adult man? You could get some very interesting results from that."

"Perhaps, like espers, the cybernetic upgrades works better on young children," said the third member of the Kihara clan that was in the room, the red headed Therestina Kihara. She remembered seeing the girl when she pretended to be a hotel receptionist, on orders by her grandfather Gensei. Her impression of the young girl was that she was shy, not outgoing, and was clinging onto the words of her handler Marco.

But now with the reports they had acquired from the hospital she was interned at, she wondered if her personality had changed. She was no longer shackled to the conditioning, and it would be interesting to see what she becomes.

"Yes, that is one possibility," Gensei said. "Or they wanted soldiers that could hide in plain sight. But whatever their goals were, the issue is what to do with the cyborg?" Amata chuckled.

"Oh, if she becomes a high priority esper, then we might as well take her," Amata said. "If not, leave her for one of the lesser schools and when we get an opening, take her cybernetic upgrades from her corpse."

"So brutal cousin," Therestina remarked. "But I wouldn't want to waste resources on a cyborg with no esper capabilities either. If she can't be at least a Level three esper, then we might as well exploit her cybernetic enhancements."

Gensei was the only one considering the question, both of his grand children were thinking short term immediate gains. He could see the brain activity of the various students, and observed that while the vast majority had only average results for beginning espers, Angelica had above average results.

She was around one and a half times more active than the next student, which meant that she was consuming the information at an insatiable rate. Gensei knew this often marked espers with quick leveling performance, and he began to wonder what these initial results would mean long term.

He looked over her test and physical exams, and noted that she was well versed in the higher end science fields and above average in mathematics. Language was just for school placement, but the math and science were indicators of possible esper abilities. Her physical exam were much higher than the other students, though this was probably due to her cybernetics and her previous conditioning to make her task orientated.

He smirked at the early results, and turned to his grand-children.

"We don't have to decide now," he said. "However, we should keep tabs on her. If she shows potential, we will exploit it and steer her to our goals. But we will need to see what the Tree Diagram says about the girl after the SYSTEM Scan."

Amata and Therestina nodded, knowing that when it came to the final word, the Tree Diagram was the best way to get the information they desired.

"Very well," Amata said. "Then I will get going, I have work to get to; mainly making sure none of the SWA pricks interfere with our plans." He left, leaving Therestina and Gensei in the room.

"What are you playing at?" Therestina asked her grandfather. She knew he was always thinking several moves ahead. Gensei kept smiling, looking at Angelica.

"Well, I see that if we intervene too early, it will raise suspicions," Gensei noted. "But I can tell from her transcripts that she could get into most of the various schools in the city easily, the only limiting factor being her esper level."

Therestina knew that certain schools, like Tokiwadai Middle School, would only accept level 3s or higher. This limited the options, but Therestina looked at the floor, and watched the teacher Jounan looking at Angelica, an obvious glint of greed in her eyes. She put together the initial plan of Gensei.

"I see, you want her to be in the hands of someone we can easily manipulate," Therestina said. "And when it suites us, she gives us the cyborg, all the resources spent on her coming from the Academy and not from us." Gensei nodded.

"That's one possibility," Gensei admitted. "Though there are various other methods we can employ, but for now, it would keep our involvement to a minimum and we can always pull out if needed."

He turned to leave, leaving Therestina to ponder what her grandfather saw in the cyborg. She would leave a few minutes later, but it would be hours before the PCP was completed.

* * *

Angelica felt her head swimming with new information and she could tell the information stream was slowly down to a halt. She waited a few moments, and the machine powered down. She heard Jounan's voice.

"Alright, Angelica, you may take you headpiece off," Jounan said. Angelica took the helmet like device off her head, to see the other tables around her already empty.

"Ms. Jounan, where are the others?" Angelica asked. Jounan smirked.

"Well, they completed the PCP before you did, but that isn't a bad thing in your case," Jounan explained. "The longer you are in there, the more information you get to absorb, and the more likely you are to be a high level esper."

"Oh," Angelica said. She got off the table, but she nearly collapsed, her legs not supporting her. Jounan rushed forward and help her up.

"You shouldn't have done that," Jounan scolded lightly. "You were in the Testament machine for about twenty hours." Angelica looked up at Jounan, shocked she had been in the machine for four additional hours. But before she could ask why she was in there for that long, Jounan had a nurse bring over a wheelchair to Angelica.

Angelica sat down in the wheelchair, and silently scolded the wretched chair. She remembered how often she was in one during her time in the SWA, and it made her annoyed that she was once again relying on one. But the nurse began to roll Angelica out of the lab and down a hallway, keeping pace with Jounan.

"Now Angelica, while you were still under, the others completed their SYSTEM Scan, so that means you have the field to yourself," Jounan said. "What's going to happen is that we are going to run through a basic series of tests, to determine your ability." Angelica was curious about what kind of tests she was going through, so she asked.

"Ms. Jounan when will you be able to determine what my ability is?" Angelica asked. Jounan chuckled.

"Well, we first try and determine the school of your ability, then we narrow it down with tests. Once we have an approximation of your ability, we feed it into a machine, and then we take your AIM field. This then concludes the SYSTEM Scan."

"Alright," Angelica said, and soon they were back on the track, with a couple of stations. She was rolled over to the first station, and the SYSTEM Scan began.

At the first station, she was tested to see if she had clairvoyance, but after failing to identify the cards she had in her hand in a round of blind fold poker, she was moved to see if she had telepathy. This too failed as she wasn't able to keep a raw egg balanced, regardless of her efforts.

She was rolled over to another station, where they sought to see if her physical performance had improved. She performed the same as before, she wasn't able to run faster, or able to not inflict damage on herself. Angelica began to feel discouraged, as it was failure after failure. If Jean and Marco were here, she was certain Jean would mention to Marco to get Angelica re calibrated. She began to grit her teeth, angered by the thought of Jean.

Sick of the wheel chair, she walked to the third station, which was to see if she could manipulate 'elemental forces'. She began with water, but was unable to do anything with it. She saw Jounan then approach her with a Taser.

"Angelica, this is to determine if you are an electro-master," Jounan began to explain. "If you can not get shocked by this, or even manipulate the flow of electricity from the Taser, then it means you are in some category of electro-master."

Angelica nodded, but as Jounan approached her, she felt a surge of panic flow through her, unlike anything else she had experienced. She began trying to calm herself down, by thinking incidentally the composition of double-base smokeless powder, as used in most firearms.

She thought about the proportions of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and the other material used to make smokeless powder. She began to calculate the formula in her head, but as Jounan came close to her hand, she panicked, and her mind took over.

Jounan, not expecting anything unusual to happen, applied to Taser on Angelica's hand, not see the fine black powder in Angelica's hand. When the Taser arc, she was met with a loud crack and a minute amount of smoke as the powder caught fire, ruining the Taser and causing Jounan to step back.

"I'm sorry!" Angelica whimpered. "I'm sorry, I panicked and I can't control electricity." Angelica was curling up in a ball, while Jounan tried to process what happened. She applied a current to Angelica's hand, only to have a bit of smoke and the end of the Taser break. She then thought of various possiblites, and one came to her mind.

"Angelica, listen to me," Jounan said. "I need to see your hand." Angelica, while having tears roll down her face, extended her hand to Jounan. Jounan examined it, and noticed the black power material that hadn't quite burn. She now was certain she was right, but she needed to confirm it.

"Angelica, what were you thinking about as I approached you with the Taser?" Jounan asked. "Were you doing any sort of calculations, any sort of mental construction, anything along those lines?" She saw Angelica nod.

"I was trying to calm myself down by thinking of the composition of smokeless powder," Angelica said. Jounan probably would've asked why Angelica was thinking of smokeless powder when she was calming herself if it weren't for the fact that she figured out Angelica's ability.

She put a hand on Angelica's shoulder, and brushed her hair, trying to calm the young girl down.

"Calm down Angelica," Jounan urged. "While you may not be an electro-master, I think I figured out what you are." Angelica looked up, surprised by Jounan's statement. She hadn't been able to stop the Taser from shocking her, so why was Jounan smiling? Didn't she fail?

"Angelica, I want you to think about the composition of smokeless powder again, but this, try and gather as much of it as you can."

Angelica, not sure what Jounan was getting out, focused on the composition of smokeless powder, only to be shocked as the growing pile in her hand. She was about to reach five hundred grams when she couldn't 'make' anymore powder.

Jounan chuckled. Her hypothesis was turning out to be correct, but she wanted to test an idea floating in her mind.

"Angelica, would you be so kind as to snap your finger?" Jounan asked. She could see Angelica hesitate, but nonetheless did as she was ordered. Angelica snapped, and Jounan saw a spark form as the friction between the fingers formed, causing the small pile of smokeless powder to burn quickly and rapidly. Angelica however was waving her hand.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she yelped. Jounan could see a bit of her skin had been burnt. Pulling out some burn ointment, Jounan began to formalize the basics behind Angelica's ability.

It was the ability to create fuel and to be able to ignite said fuel. Right now, it was to create smokeless powder, but given how Angelica was able to create it using the composition of the material, Jounan wondered if she could create other fuel types. Right now, she could create around five hundred grams of fuel, and she was able ti ignite the material via friction inn her fingers.

Jounan could see Angelica look at her hand and was wincing silently in pain. She then knelt down to Angelica's level.

"Angelica, I believe I have an understanding of your ability, so let's take your AIM field readings and finish the scan up, alright?"

"Alright Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. She followed Jounan to a machine that looked vaguely like a metal detector, and was instructed to stand in the middle of it. She could hear the machine hum silently, and after a minute Jounan motioned her to meet with her, with a piece of paper in hand.

"Ms. Costa, this is your system scan, along with your entrance exam and your physical evaluation results," Jounan said. "By tomorrow, a representative from the City's board of education will come by your current place to discuss possible enrollment options." She handed Angelica the close envelopment, but stopped her from opening it.

"I suggest waiting until you get back home before opening it, it has a lot of information, and you can't possibly go through it before you are picked up, because Ms. Yomikawa is already here." Angelica turned and saw Yomikawa walking to her. Angelica ran off to the blue hair woman, leaving Jounan to smirk at the results of the System Scan. She was certain that the city would have a new rising star to look out for.

* * *

Angelica was in Yomikawa's car, eager to open the envelope. But she had enough restraint to wait until they got into the apartment.

"So, how did it go?" Yomikawa asked, and Angelica could tell by her gaze she was looking at the various band aids and the wrapping around her hand.

"Pretty good I think," Angelica said. "Though these bandages are from a tumble I took on the track." Yomikawa chuckled.

"Well, at least it is just a tumble, I was thinking it might've been something more serious," Yomikawa said. "Well, we are about to park soon, so we will be able to go over your results." Angelica nodded, and as Yomikawa parked, Angelica opened the door, and quickly headed to the apartment. Yomikawa followed a ways behind.

When they finally reached the thirteenth floor, Angelica opened Yomikawa's door and headed to the living room, sitting on the couch, and pulled out her envelope, opening the seal, and pulled out three pieces of papers. The First was her entrance exams scores, and she looked over them;

**Language Score: 100/120- 83%**

**Sentence Structure: 37/40**

**Grammar: 30/40**

**Spelling: 33/40**

**Mathematics Score: 90/120-75%**

**Algebra: 22/25**

**Geometry: 22/25**

**Probably and Statics: 24/25**

**Calculus: 19/25**

**Analysis :3/17**

**Operational Research:0/3**

**Science Score: 92/120- 76%**

**Earth and Space Science: 35/40**

**Chemistry: 37/40**

**Physics: 20/40**

Yomikawa was sitting next to Angelica by the time Angelica saw the end of the results.

"Not too bad," Yomikawa praised. "I know several students who would be envious of your scores. Oh, also, don't worry so much about the overall score, pay attention to the course scores; they determine your classes and where you need improvement."

Angelica nodded, and she went to the next piece of paper, which had her physical evaluation on it;

**Endurance Run: Time: 20 Minutes. Number of laps completed: 24 laps.**

**Fitness scores;**

**Number of push-ups in 2 minutes: 85**

**Number of sit-ups in 2 minutes: 100**

**Numbers of pull-ups (untimed): 20**

**Average speed (determined by endurance run): 16 K/PH**

**Flexibility results: Within normal range of human motion. **

Yomikawa's jaw dropped a bit after seeing the results. This rivaled most of the Judgment members', hell even Anti-Skill members', physical evaluation. No wonder why when she was contacted by Heaven Canceller after he got out of surgery that her being a cyborg needed to be kept a secret. With results like these, anyone would be gunning for her.

"Holy shit," Yomikawa mouthed before catching herself. While she was an adult, one who like to drink a lot and smoke heavily, she was also a teacher so she refrained from using such vulgar language most of the time. But Angelica didn't seem to pay attention to it; she was looking at the results with some sense of disgust. She knew that the other cyborgs were more physically fit than her, but that was due to the degrading nature of continual conditioning, not her own will.

"Well, at least you won't have to worry about fitness scores," Yomikawa continued to praise Angelica. "You could easily join Judgment with these scores." Angelica shrugged.

"But Yomikawa, that is because I was designed to fight," Angelica pointed out. "What good is it to put the latest cybernetic technology into a little girl if she isn't to fight?" Yomikawa sighed at Angelica's response.

"Well, I just think that technology shouldn't be used to create soldiers," Yomikawa said. "Least of all child soldiers. But let's look at your SYSTEM Scan results." Angelica nodded, and she looked at the final piece of paper.

The final piece of paper wasn't like the others, which used numerical numbers. Instead, it gave an outline of her ability and her AIM field, as well as her esper level. She looked at the results, and was surprised. Her ability, which was given a description, was named 'Bomb Maker'. She thought it was appropriate, if a bit over kill; she could only create 500 grams of smokeless powder, and it wasn't that powerful.

But she looked at the aim field readings, which were labeled as 'high for a beginning esper', before heading to see her esper level. She saw in a large red print the number 1, indicating she was a Level 1. Angelica looked at the result, and was confused whether she should be ecstatic or depressed that after all her hard work she was only a Level 1.

"Um, Yomikawa, is being a Level 1 impressive?" Angelica asked, and was surpised to see Yomikawa smile.

"Well, you only just became an esper," Yomikawa countered. "Most don't even start as level 1, most start as very low Level 0s, and here your AIM fields are indicated to be quite high for a Level 1, so you could easily become a Level 2 in a short while."

"You really think so?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa nodded.

"Yes, some espers start at Level 1 and go all the way up to Level 5, so there is hope for you," Yomikawa said, leaving Angelica feeling better about herself. "But now, I suppose you are hungry?" Angelica nodded, and Yomikawa left to head to the kitchen, leaving Angelica to wonder about what would happen tomorrow when the City's representative came over.

* * *

"Ms. Jounan, you asked to see me?" asked a voice, one that was deep and meditated, one that belong to Jouki Daichi, the Director of Nagatenjouki Academy. Jounan knew that he and his partner, Nagaten, started this school ten years ago with the intention of being the most prestigious school in Academy City, and in that short decade he had managed that.

"Yes sir," Jounan began. "I wish to talk about a potential candidate to be enrolled in the academy."

"I see," mused Daichi. He took a file that was in his lap and dropped it on his desk. "Tell me, is it because the student has the means to honor the school, or is it to cover your lacking in creating a Level 5?"

Jounan swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat when Daichi brought up her inability to mold a Level 5. She had held the post of Power Development Supervisor for the past two uses, but in that time she had yet to oversee the development of a Level 5. Granted, Nagatenjouki had a Level 5, but he was developed by the efforts of KRI.

"The candidate has already shown above average marks in her physical exam, and her SYSTEM Scan showed her to already being on the verge of being a Level 2," Jounan continued, trying to put a positive spin on it. However, before she could continue, Daichi interrupted.

"This candidate, for the lack of a better term, is nothing more than you trying to preserve your job," Daichi snarled out, his voice being laced with venom. "The only reason I haven't kicked you out is because you have been able to make a number of espers Level 4, and also because you are in a contract for two more years."

Jounan paled; she knew she was on a tight rope, and she needed something, anything to convince Daichi that Angelica was the best chance of becoming a Level 5, so she could maintain her position.

She was about to speak when the door opened. She turned, and Daichi leaned to get a look at the person intruding in their conversation.

"Kihara Gensei, what brings you here?" Daichi asked, and he reassumed his posture in his seat. Jounan was surprised by the elderly Kihara making an appearance now, but she knew that his presence would put the conversation on hold.

"Good to see you Jouki Daichi," Gensei said. "I was hoping to talk to you about the possibility of us taking a look at the SYSTEM scan of one of the students." He had a simple smirk on his face, and was hunched forward a bit. Daichi glared at him.

"Which student?" Daichi asked, looking a Jounan, who was puzzled by Gensei's request. Gensei had a file under his arm, but Jounan nor Daichi could get a clear look at the file.

"A Costa Angelica," Gensei said. Daichi looked over at Jounan, who began to glare and grit her teeth. Daichi could tell by her reaction that Jounan felt like Gensei was trying to poach her student.

"What makes you interested in this student?" Daichi said, well aware that a game of poker was being played here. Gensei smiled.

"While we were running the PCP, I noticed the brainwave activity of her," Gensei said. "She was taking in much more information that the other students, and her exams and physical scores are high enough to take advantage of the resources at KRI."

Daichi tighten his fist under his desk. He hated how the Kiharas always touted their success and resources; the entire clan was devoted to science, and the family would take any promising scientist under their wing and they would become a Kihara in the process.

"I see," Daichi said. He turned to Jounan. "This Costa Angelica, what is her ability?" Jounan nodded.

"It is 'Bomb Maker' sir," Jounan stated. "She can create explosive material and is able to detonate the material using friction. Her ability could technically be categorized under pyrokinesis, though the fact she can create the material with nothing more than understanding the composition would make her a unqiue case-"

"Which is why she would be well suited at the KRI," Gensei interrupted. "We have the facilities, the scientists, and the methods to improve her. We can understand the true nature of her ability, at least better than your PDS."

Jounan wanted to hit the elderly Kihara, but she kept her cool.

"With all respect Mr. Kihara, your precious KRI only created one Level 5," Jounan noted sharply. "Also, that Level 5 is enrolled here, showing we are capable of handling Level 5s." Gensei chuckled.

"Then why haven't you created a Level 5 yet, Ms. Jounan?" mocked Gensei. At this point, Daichi intervened.

"Enough!" he barked out. "I won't have a squabble over a single student in my office!" He sat down, straitening his tie. "At this point, the requirements for entry to Nagatenjouki are more lenient that the KRI. Ms. Jounan, would Costa Angelica be allowed by our standards to enter?"

Ms. Jounan had already confirmed this before coming to see Daichi, and she nodded.

"Yes sir, her entrance exams are all above 70%, and her physical exams exceed almost the entire student body currently enrolled," Jounan said, and shot a look at Gensei.

Daichi nodded, weighing the situation. Ms. Jounan saw potential in Costa Angelica, she passed the requirements to attend Nagatenjouki Academy, and the head of the Kihara Clan was looking to poach her. He knew that when people bid on the same thing, that object holds value, and it only matters to the one who holds the object.

"Gensei, at this time, her decision is what will make the difference," Daichi said. "However, you can expect us to pull her into the academy." He saw Gensei bore down him.

"Are you so certain about that?" Gensei asked. "You think you will be the only one trying to sway her to come to you academy? I think not, especially when the scan becomes public in the morning, but for now, you can give it to me so we can decide whether we want to pursue her still."

"Consider it insider trading; you have the information already, but you can ensure that if you give us this information, we can make sure the other schools and research facilities lose interest, making it a two horse race."

Daichi knew the risks; if Gensei did the exact opposite, than a potential flood would come down on Angelica and the odds of her enrolling at the school would be dramatically lessen. But that made Daichi think. Everyone had a price no matter how high and mighty they considered themselves, so if he could ensure that Angelica would be stupid not to accept the Academy's offer…

"Ms. Jounan, please give Mr. Kihara a copy of the SYSTEM Scan report," Daichi said. Jounan looked at him, her faced torn between following orders and her need to keep her best chance of remaining in her post. But she nodded.

"Yes sir," she said, and handed Kihara Gensei the copy of the SYSTEM scan she had with her.

"Thank you for your business," Gensei said, before he turned and left. When he was out, Jounan yelled at Daichi.

"ARE YOU FUCKING MAD?!" she yelled. "Once he gets his talon on something, he doesn't let go, and he gets his way!" Daichi stood up to his full height of one hundred and eighty centimeters.

"Enough," he said calmly. "I am not mad, but I know we can spare the resources to acquire Ms. Costa, whereas the Kiharas can't." He smiled as Jounan's face dropped, and the red anger bled off.

The Kiharas, while brilliant in their own right, often had too many projects going on and couldn't spare the resources trying to buy students off like the other academies could. Also, to his relief, as Ms. Jounan told him more about Angelica, it knocked out the main competitor, Tokiwadai Middle School, considering Angelica would be two years too young to enter there.

He then dismissed Ms. Jounan as he personally began to draft up a pitch to convince Costa Angelica. He smirked as he drew it up, including housing, a substantial income, and several other factors he was certain would appeal to anyone in her position. He then pondered why Gensei would be so blunt about his interest; perhaps he thought he could bully Daichi into submission. Well, if that was the case, Gensei had miscalculated, as he wasn't about to lose an opportunity due to the Kihara clan getting what it wants, he would make sure of it.

* * *

Angelica awoke to the sound of Yomikawa pushing her.

"Yomikawa, what is it?" Angelica asked. Yomikawa chuckled.

"It's a quarter to noon," Yomikawa stated. Angelica shot up and looked over at the clock, to see it was indeed a quarter to noon. "I thought I get you up so you would be able to meet the representative that is due in a few minutes."

Angelica panicked, and quickly rushed out of the bed and began to get dressed immediately. She pulled on her shirt and put on her skirt, and quickly brushed her hair. How could she have slept in so late? She then remembered how her perception of time had been smashed by being in the Testament Machine for twenty hours.

She walked into the kitchen, where Yomikawa was already handing her a plate with some eggs and bacon on it. Angelica was glad to see some semblance to a more Western breakfast, and ate her bacon first. While she was eating, Yomikawa began to talk.

"Now, the representative is going to give you a couple of options of enrollment, and considering your scores, you will probably get some decent options. However, prioritize those that offer decent housing, a good payment, and any additional benefits."

Angelica nodded, and began to eat her eggs, thinking about the payment options.

"Yomikawa, how does the payment system work?" Angelica asked.

"Well, basically it is a contract," Yomikawa began to explain. "The school agrees to pay you're a certain amount of money and gives you an education, and in return you agree to perform research and experiments on their behalf."

Angelica was about to ask a question regarding the research she would have to partake in when there was a knock at the door. Yomikawa rushed out of the kitchen to greet the person, and while Angelica might not have seen them, she could eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Is Ms. Costa available?" said a young man. "I am with the board of Education, to discuss Ms. Costa's enrollment at one of the various schools in the city."

"Ah," Yomikawa said. "Yeah, she is in the kitchen, just finishing eating." Angelica then heard the footsteps get closer, and she turned to see that the young man was wearing a standard business suit and had dark brown hair.

"Would you be Ms. Costa?" the young man asked, and when she nodded, he extended his hand. "I am Mr. Matsu, I am here to discuss your enrollment options. Is here fine to discuss?"

"Yes sir," Angelica said, and she remained seated, while Mr. Matsu sat down. He pulled up his briefcase and pulled out several papers.

"Now Ms. Costa, I am glad to state that a number of highly prestigious schools and facilities are willingly to offer your enrollment offers." He handed her a stack of papers, and she noted that they were stapled together and that there were four main selections.

"Due to your high scores yet are still in elementary school, only a few schools were found to be suitable. However, those schools are well recognized. The first one you are looking at is the offer from Private Shidarezakura Academy, an all-female campus located in the School Garden."

Angelica read the offer and was surprised at the offer. A on campus dorm, a weekly income of forty-one thousand yen, and offered access to various facilities and discounts to places within the school garden. Angelica like how it was modeled after Western European schools, but she noticed that for the track record of esper development, they barely had any Level 4s.

Upon seeing her frowning at the offer, Mr. Matsu then motioned to another school's offer, but she also frowned at it. Admittedly, it's offer wasn't that much better than Private Shidarezakura Academy, and it's dorm was off campus.

"Well Ms. Costa, there is the Kihara Research Institute, they are offering a very good deal," Mr. Matsu said. "Fifty thousand yen a week, a 2LDK private dorm, transportation to and from dorm to the facility, and they are well known for creating the most powerful level 5 the city has known."

Angelica looked up at Mr. Matsu, curious about the KRI.

"The institute, is it ran by Kihara Gensei?" Angelica asked. Mr. Matsu shrugged.

"Sort of," he said. "Officially he doesn't, his grandson Kihara Amata does, but he does have a lot of say in the institutes research."

"And what kind of research does KRI do?" Angelica asked. Mr. Matsu chuckled.

"The institute is involved in all kinds of research, but mostly esper development research. They are working on several methods of creating a level 6 esper." Angelica tilted her head a little bit at the mention of Level 6.

"I thought espers levels only went up to Level 5," Angelica said. "What does Level 6 mean?"

"I am not sure, but it's mostly hypothetical at the moment," Mr. Matsu said. "You would have to ask a PDS for more information." She nodded. If the final school didn't have any better of an offer, then she would accept KRI's offer.

"Alright, what is the final offer?" Angelica asked, and she put the KRI to her side, away from the others. Mr. Matsu noted that she was leaning towards KRI, and it wasn't a bad choice. But he had seen the next offer, and it was quite the offer.

"The final offer is from Nagatenjouki Academy, the best school in Academy City according to most," Mr. Matsu said. "They are offering quite a bit."

Angelica looked at the offer, and was shocked by the deal; fifty-seven thousand yen a week, also a 2LDK dorm, but one that was near campus, and access to several off campus facilities for free. In addition to this, Angelica saw that she would have private esper development session from the school's Power Development Supervisor, Ms. Jounan.

Angelica remembered how Jounan had treated her during the exams and the SYSTEM scan, and thought she was a likeable person, and in some ways similar to Marco, strict and stern, but concerned in a stand-offish way. She read the rest of the offer, but her mind was set.

"I think I am going to accept Nagatenjouki Academy's offer," Angelica said. "While the KRI's offer was nice, I think that Nagatenjouki's is better." Mr. Matsu nodded.

"Very well, then will you sign here, and here, and finally here," he said, indicating where she needed to sign. "I will submit the paperwork, and a person from Nagatenjouki by the end of the week will arrive to discuss the rest of the formalities." He then got up, thanked Yomikawa for her hospitality, and left.

Yomikawa sat down next to Angelica and sighed.

"I am thankful you didn't accept KRI's offer," Yomikawa said. "And before you ask why, here is why; the Kihara clan doesn't care about the cost of research, both monetary and human costs. They are ruthless and cunning, and they don't show mercy."

Angelica felt a lump in her throat as she nodded. If Yomikawa was this serious about the issue, then surely she had dodged a bullet.

"So you think Nagatenjouki is a better offer?" Angelica said. Yomikawa nodded.

"Yeah, much better. Sure they have a petty rivalry with Tokiwadai Middle School, but most schools do. And besides, they are one of the best schools to attend." Yomikawa looked at the clock and chuckled. "So, what are you going to do now, considering that you are almost going to school?"

Angelica shrugged. The last couple of days had been a strain on her, and she wanted to just relax. But she never had a moment where she was truly relax, so she headed to the living room and turned the channel to the channel that promoted firearms, to take her mind off the situation. Yomikawa just looked, shaking her head at the thought of a girl being into guns as much as she was. But she also knew that it was something safe to Angelica, and so she left Angelica alone, aware that soon she will be on her own.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Another chapter down. This took the better part of two days to get down, and I had to ensure that her ability wasn't overly powerful early on. But first let's get to the reviews;**

**-Triser: Yeah, I hope 'Bomb Maker' isn't a lame duck ability. Sure isn't the over abused electro-master, that is for sure. I will talk more about the ability and its ramification later on, but I want to get to your question about the Sisters. **

**Angelica will meet the Sisters, but her reaction to them isn't like Touma's or Misaka's. What exactly it will be I am keeping to myself at the moment, for we haven't gotten that far ahead yet. Also she will meet Accelerator before meeting the Sisters, and how they meet will influence her reaction.**

**I hope that answers your questions Triser, so let me explain the ramifications of 'Bomb Maker'. When I talk about the 'fuel' (or the thing Angelica's makes) I am referring to the explosive/chemical components that create the blast. She will later be able to create a casing for said bomb, and thus give it fragmentation pattern, but that is a Level 3 ability.**

**As for the various 'fuels', we have powder explosives (like smokeless powder and thermite), plastic explosives (things like semtex and C4), incendiary materials (fuel and napalm), and there are others which I am not going to spoil. But take into account, the more complex the 'bomb' is, the smaller it will be. So if she could create a 5000 gram bomb (5kg) composed of smokeless powder, she might be able to create a 500 gram napalm bomb. **

**So this is a balancing factor in her ability. She can create either a massive bomb using a simple fuel, or she can try and replicate the blast size using a more complex and smaller bomb. But as to what Level 5 can do for her, let's just say it's a marker for the true terror of espers.**

**I have spoken long enough, so please follow, favorite, and review!**


	4. Chapter Three: Force of Will

Chapter Three: Force of Will

* * *

Angelica was in Yomikawa's kitchen, awaiting the arrival of Ms. Jounan, who would take her to her dorm. She was busy reading a book that Komoe had given her upon finding out about her ability. It was about the general field of pyrokinesis, and it described the various theories around the mechanics of the ability.

For most pyrokinetics, they use a form of telepathy to create an area of high friction, where they then interject a flow of pure oxygen into the spark. This creates the fire, and the pyrokinetics continue the burn by continually pouring in oxygen, thus feeding the fire.

However, Angelica knew that from this description she wasn't like most pyrokinetics. For one thing, she currently used friction created through physical interactions to create the spark. Another major difference is that she can create smokeless powder if she concentrates on the composition of the powder, whereas most pyrokinetics ignore this interaction all together to focus on burning oxygen.

But while much of the information didn't apply to Angelica, it did get her thinking on what she could do with her ability. She thought of the purposes of the smokeless powder, and knew that while five hundred grams was relatively little, it can be used very effectively if put into a one-way system, such as a barrel. If she put the powder into a barrel and then put in a heavy projectile, she could make a simple firearm.

But it required materials which she probably wouldn't have on hand, so she tried to think of other possibilities, but each one required outside material. She sighed, shutting the book. She noted that with Yomikawa at her job as a high school teacher, the flat was eerily quiet. It was high enough to where traffic noise wasn't a concern, and the rooms were sound-proof.

Angelica headed to the living room, and waited quietly for a few minutes. She was pondering the nature of the city's highest level espers when there was a knock on the door. Angelica got up from the couch and headed to the door. She opened it and saw Jounan standing there.

"Hello Ms. Jounan," Angelica said politely. "Shall I grab my things?" Jounan chuckled.

"Yes Ms. Costa," Jounan said. "I assume you are ready to see your dorm?" Angelica nodded, and she grabbed her luggage bag from the kitchen, and before following Jounan locked Yomikawa's flat's door. She followed behind Jounan, who was surprised by the readiness of the young girl. Most were usually doing last minute preparations when she came to pick them up, but not Angelica.

Jounan observed Angelica the best she could as they walked to her car, and noted that while Angelica was walking, she was paying constant attention to their surroundings, as though she was looking for threats. She shook the notion out of her head, until she thought about what happened during Angelica's SYSTEM scan. _I was trying to calm myself down by thinking of the composition of smokeless powder. _What girl her age would even know the composition of smokeless powder; hell, what person short of weapons manufacturers would know the composition?

As she and Angelica entered her car, Jounan turned to Angelica.

"Angelica, how did you know of the composition of smokeless powder?" Jounan asked. "I forgot to ask after the thing with the Taser." Angelica shrugged.

"My father told me," Angelica said simply. Angelica had been studying her cover with Yomikawa, where she was to use the truth to fabricate the lie, to keep the fact she was a cyborg a secret. "My father served in the police force before he died."

"I see," Jounan lied. Why would a police officer know about the composition of one of the most widely used propellants? "So what was he like?"

Angelic paused, trying to think of what Marco was like. While much of the conditioning's mind wipes had been erased, she couldn't recall the oldest memories. So she used the more recent memories, of when he was strict but still somewhat forgiving.

"He always expected the best of me," Angelica said. "He had a strong sense of justice and hated the FRF." Jounan nodded, still unconvinced that Angelica was telling her the truth.

"Did you father die at the hands of the FRF?" Jounan asked. Angelica had gone over this detail with Yomikawa.

"No, he and I were in Academy City, and he died due to an accident," Angelica lied. She looked down, unable to remember how Marco had died. When she inquired about it with Yomikawa, she told her that it wasn't good, and left it at that. Angelica sighed.

Jounan continued to drive, trying to form a clear opinion of the girl. She was hiding something, but what wasn't clear. She thought to put it aside, and discuss a new subject.

"So Angelica, anything you curious about the City?" Jounan asked. Angelica nodded rather quickly, looking up at Jounan.

"Yes, how many Level 5s are there?" Angelica asked. Jounan chuckled; the most obvious and interesting thing about the city were the Level 5 espers, and Angelica had inquired about them.

"Well, there are seven Level 5s," Jounan answered. "Each one of them has a unique and very powerful ability, and they are nicknamed after their ability. You have, in order of strongest to weakest, the Accelerator, Dark Matter, the Railgun, Meltdown, Mental Out, the sixth one is a mystery, and finally Gemstone."

Angelica nodded, and began to wonder why each one was named the way they were. She didn't know of any reason for the naming of the first two, but the Railgun she assumed had something to do with electromagnetism, Meltdowner was another mystery. She assumed Mental Out had something to do with affecting mental capacity, and she couldn't figure out what Gemstone was about.

"Is there anything else you are curious about?" Jounan asked, hoping to figure out what was making Angelica tick. She could see Angelica debating between the questions, but after a minute of contemplation she had another question.

"Ms. Jounan, how can I create smokeless powder without having to actually have the ingredients beforehand?" Angelica asked. Jounan refrained from smirking, but was highly amused by Angelica's question. Indeed, it wasn't like other esper abilities that could breakdown and reassemble material; she could simply create it from a mental blueprint.

"Well, that's something that hopefully during your time with Nagatenjouki Academy we can answer," Jounan said honestly. "Right now, we aren't sure how you are doing it, though we have ideas. However, we are pulling up to your dorm."

Angelica looked away from Jounan and saw a large four story building that spread across the length of a couple city blocks. She could see students of various ages walking back and forth across the dorm, and saw that many of the female students were wearing a white shirt with a dark blue vest/skirt combo, with a pin on the collar of the white shirt.

Jounan began to get out of the car, prompting Angelica to get out of the car and grab her luggage bag. She followed Jounan, and noticed a number of the students step out of her path, making Angelica to wonder what Jounan did to make the students step away from her. But soon they were outside of her dorm room

Jounan opened the door, and Angelica headed inside, finding that the room layout was simple to remember; the entrance leads into the living room, which was connected to the dining room and kitchen. The two rooms were off to the right off the entrance, with the bathroom at the end between both rooms.

Angelica went to the first room, and saw a twin size bed on one side of the room, a desk in the corner, and two windows that overlooked the corner of the campus dorm and looked at the Academy directly. She placed her luggage bag down and turned to Jounan.

"Is there anything else I need to do?" Angelica asked. Jounan nodded.

"Yes, there is the matter with your stay here," Jounan began. "Normally, Nagatenjouki Academy doesn't teach elementary school students. However, due to your SYSTEM Scan and above average results in both your entrance and physical exam, an exception was permitted."

"Your lessons are therefore going to be on par with the curriculum for a first year junior high student. However, your science and math will be tailored to your ability, so you may better understand the models behind your ability."

Angelica nodded, taking in the fact she was going to be taking things two years in advance of what a normal student would. But unbeknownst to Jounan, Angelica was more than capable of the task. Due to her conditioning, Angelica wouldn't give up and quit when most people would. She recalled a memory of when Claes was starting out and she had spent an entire night at the pistol range, all because she was commanded to.

"In addition, with regards to your private esper development sessions with me, you will meet me on the track from two thirty to four in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. However, you have standard esper development sessions during the day, and I expect you to complete any and all given work."

"I understand Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. She looked at the clock that she saw on the desk and noted that it was barely just after noon. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Just a few more things," Jounan said, taking out a two envelopes and handing them to Angelica. "The first envelope has your school schedule, with the class location and teacher's name on them. The second envelope has your ID card, complete with esper Level and the school you are attending. Final note, before you leave this dorm room, you must be in your school uniform, which are in the closest."

Jounan opened the closest and pulled out a uniform for Angelica to put on, before she headed to exit the dorm. Angelica quietly put on the uniform, and found that it fit quite nicely. The shoes were comfortable, but she knew that they weren't made with outdoor performance in mind, and the only thing that stuck out in her mind was that this uniform wouldn't be sufficient during winters.

She yawned and decided to get a better understanding of the campus, so Angelica headed out of her dorm, making sure she locked it before heading out. She walked down the hallway, in a move to leave the dorm and explore the campus so she wasn't lost tomorrow, only to have the various students looking at her. They were only three to five years older to her in most cases, so why were they looking at her in utter confusion.

She got to the ground level and was a couple meters from the door when she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. Angelica paused, and turned her head to see three male students looking at her.

"Girl, aren't you lost?" the male with a hand on her shoulder remarked. "This isn't elementary school; this is Nagatenjouki."

"I know that sir," Angelica replied. The male student, who had dark brown hair, glared at her.

"Tsk, some mouth you got," he snarled. "What the fuck you think you are, strutting around here in that uniform, you clearly don't belong here." Angelica sized him and the two other's up. While the student with his hand on her shoulder would easily be taken care of, his two friends were a bit more built and looked like what she would expect from a FRF foot soldier.

"I am here to stay sir," Angelica began. "I have my ID card that states so, and if you require further proof you may speak with Ms. Jounan. Now if you would, could you please remove your hand from my shoulder; I would like to get a better understanding of the Academy's layout."

The male student, clearly ticked at being waved off by Angelica, tighten his grip on her shoulder.

"Listen here," he growled. "I'm a Level 3 telepathic, I could throw your ass around the hall way without a moment's thought, so you will respect my authority!"

He was about to lift her up and slam her into the floor, but before that even happened Angelica had grabbed his wrist and had thrown him over her shoulder. He crashed into the ground back first, where Angelica proceeded o twist his arm at both the shoulder and elbow, and she raised her arm above his head, pinning him down with her knee.

"ARGH!" cried the male student, while his friends watch on in fear. "I give, I give!" Angelica released his arm and got off of him, stepping a couple of feet back.

At this time, several other students had arrived, and were looking in shock at Angelica. Most were wondering how a girl her statue had taken on someone almost twice her size. But she left the students who were in shock, as she still having to examine the campus.

She walked out of the dorms, and across the street to get to the Academy grounds. She noted that the tall concrete walls had cameras on the corners and at the entrances. The sidewalk had only a couple of trees for shade, and Angelica entered the large central building and saw that just down the hallway was a map of the academy.

She approached the map and discovered that the main building had ten floors, as she observed the first time she was here, though the tenth, ninth, and eighth floor were for teachers and researchers only. The remaining floors were divided into subject courses. The first floor was the exception, being used for the cafeteria, indoor gym, library, and computer common room.

Angelica nodded, and began to head around the academy building, getting a sense of the path she would have to take to make it to her classes on time. She noted that she had ten minutes to get from class to class, but the distance between classes was exaggerated due to the constant need to use stair wells. She figured that she could make the schedule work, but it would be tight, especially since the hallways would be crowded.

As she was heading out of the seventh floor to get back to her dorm, Angelica saw an older man walking to her in a black suite. He was in his late forties, and his sleek black hair and diamond blue eyes would inspire respect in anyone looking at him. Angelica saw him chuckle as he approached.

"So Ms. Costa, what are your impressions?" the man asked his voice very calm. Angelica bowed slightly, respecting the man.

"This academy is very…sophisticated," Angelica said, unsure of how best to judge Nagatenjouki's nature. "If there is a problem with it, it's that some of the students are either very proud of their abilities, or they are very arrogant."

The man nodded slowly. Angelica felt like he was testing her, gauging her through her responses. She thus knew she couldn't appear weak or indecisive.

"Oh, why shouldn't the student's be proud of their abilities, especially if they were molded here in this academy?" the man asked. Angelica shook her head.

"But their pride makes them think that they can walk over anyone without reserve. For instance, I had a student here already pick a fight with me." The man's eyebrow rose, interested in this detail.

"Really now, how did it go down?" He asked. "Start from the beginning." Angelica sighed.

"A male student, probably fifteen, placed his hand on my shoulder. He asked if I was lost and that I didn't belong here. When I offered to prove that yes I did, he told me to respect him due to him being a telepathic esper."

"And what happened?" the man asked. Angelica shrugged.

"I simply grabbed a hold of his hand, threw him over my shoulder, and then proceeded to twist his arm in a manner to inflict pain. No major injuries, just a bruised ego in his case," Angelica replied. The man chuckled.

"Ah, glad to see that Ms. Jounan wasn't wrong about you having potential," the man stated calmly before walking past Angelica. "I am the director of Nagatenjouki Academy, as you probably knew. I look forward to your progress here Ms. Costa."

Daichi turned the corner and headed into the elevator, leaving Angelica to stand there, glad to have dodged a bullet. She wasn't sure if she would have any more encounters with the students after her display of power, yet she knew that she would encounter the Director again. She shivered, knowing he was planning something unknown to her. Checking the time with a watch that was apart of her uniform, she headed back to her dorm for the rest of the afternoon, unaware of developments back in Italy.

* * *

Jean was sitting in a café in Venice, enjoying a cup of coffee while he was waiting for his contact. He only had Rico as back up, but she was perched in a church tower, overlooking the square.

"No contacts in the immediate area," Rico noted to Jean in his ear piece. He nodded, giving Rico the signal that he heard. He had been waiting for ten minutes already, and he hated what he was doing. Why should the Agency send FRF terrorist to go after Angelica; why could he and Rico go in and kill her with a single bullet?

But he knew Pieri wanted plausible deniability and possibly a means to gather allies. If FRF terrorist killed an Italian girl in Academy City, then perhaps the international community might help in the fight against them, for the safety of their own citizens with Italian travelers in their country. But it was a long shot and Jean knew it.

"Sir, I have a visual on the contact; he is coming through the parking lot," Rico buzzed in. Jean looked and saw the contact, a man in his late twenties, messy black hair and a simple goatee. He was dressed in blue jeans and had a black jacket on. Jean waved the man over, who jogged to the table.

"So you are the man I am supposed to meet," the man asked. Jean nodded, and man sat down.

"Listen, no names, so just call me Louis Mr. Dante," Louis said. Jean sighed.

"Very well Louis, I assume you know why you are here?" Jean asked. Louis scratched his chin.

"Only the bare details," Louis said. "However, you contacted me, so you better have some more information." Jean chuckled.

"Relax, I have them," he said, pulling out a file and handing it to Louis. Louis opened it and scanned over its contents.

"Medical records, diagrams, a young girl," Louis breathed quietly. "Mind telling me what you and your associates want done?" Jean nodded.

"My bosses are interested in the technology that is in this young girl, who was last sighted entering Academy City," Jean stated. He laughed as he was pretending to be a representative from a medical company that wanted the technology the SWA was making. In reality, the medical company was already tied to the work the Agency does on the public front, and thus it was self-feeding loop, designed to make an inquires able to pass scrutiny.

"I see," Louis said after reading some more of the file. "How exactly do you want this technology, mint or scrap?"

"Mint if possible, though scrap will do if it is the only way to get it," Jean said, knowing that mint meant alive and scrap meant a corpse. Louis closed the file and tucked it in his jacket.

"Very well Mr. Dante, me and my associates will get you your toys," Louis said. "How about payment?"

"Fifty thousand Euros now, and one hundred euros for mint, though depending on the condition of the scrap anywhere from twenty five to fifty thousand euros." Jean said. Louis shook his head.

"Listen, getting the men over to that city and back will consume most of the money, so better add in travel costs and fake IDs," Louis stated. Jean sighed.

"If you bring back the girl in mint condition you are looking at one hundred and fifty thousand euros, which is five percent of what my associates make a year," Jean countered. Louis's brows furrowed, as he thought how to counter.

"Fine, just get us the fake IDs so we can enter the city unnoticed," Louis conceded. Jean nodded.

"Very well, now as to method of payment, would a check work?" Jean asked. Louis shook his head again.

"No, either cash or some other solid assets," Louis stated plainly. "We don't want our business being noticed by the police, now do we?"

"Of course. Very well, I will contact you the when and where for the first payment once me and my associates have gathered your payment." Jean got up and left the coffee table. Rico buzzed in his ear.

"Sir, am I to pack up?" Rico asked. Jean nodded, unaware that Louis was grabbing his phone to take a call. But by the phone was answered, Jean and Rico had left, leaving Louis to make his call unheard.

"Sir, it's Benito," Louis, really Benito Mosconi, a FRF spy, said into the phone. "A member of the SWA was the host."

"Hmm, interesting," Cristiano, the head of all FRF operations in Milan, noted. "What did the dog of the government want?"

"He wanted us to recover a girl, probably one of their cyborgs," Benito said. "Sir, he said the girl was in Academy City, you think it's a trap?" Benito heard Cristiano sigh.

"No, it's unlikely that Academy City would help an outside party to their conflicts and use their city as the field," Cristiano said. "However, if there is a cyborg in that city…"

"Then it could cause more headaches for us," Benito finished.

"Yes, so I want you and your best men to go after the cyborg," Cristiano commanded.

"I suppose we are to kill the cyborg?" Benito asked. He heard Cristiano scratch his chin.

"Yes. While I would be interested in seeing the application of their cybernetic enhancements, the risk of them finding out we have her would be too great," Cristiano replied. "Though note this, if you fail, I will send someone I have complete faith in to finish the job." Benito's pulse quickened.

"He won't be needed sir," Benito said quickly. "I will make sure that cyborg is dead, and that the city can't make due with technology sir."

"I do hope so," Cristiano said. "Because you aren't to return until she is dead." Before Benito could reply, the line went dead, forcing Benito to curse his luck. He then got up and left, heading to gather his men and figure out how the hell he was going to kill a cyborg.

* * *

Angelica was walking to her private lesson with Ms. Jounan, which she hoped was better than the other classes she had earlier. The other classes left her feeling dull, and while the other students were either struggling or engaged with the classes, Angelica felt left out. She wasn't attached to the lessons, and she wondered if it was her or the classes fault. She sighed as she stepped out onto the track, where Jounan was waiting.

"So Ms. Costa, how was your first day at Nagatenjouki?" Jounan asked. Angelica shrugged.

"Not too bad," Angelica said politely, not wanting to sound spoil. She knew she wasn't, it was just her perception of the world was so skewed with her time at the SWA, where her life and memories were on the line, whereas here she didn't have the same stress or the same excitement. But she pushed the thoughts aside, looking forward to Jounan's lesson.

"Alright then," Jounan said. "Let's begin with understanding the mechanics of your ability. Currently, you can create smokeless powder in the quantity of five hundred grams, and ignite it with friction create with a snap. However, I want to test if you can create other materials."

Angelica nodded, interested in what Jounan would have her create. Jounan meanwhile was debating in her head. If Angelica could create smokeless powder, what about black powder?

"Angelica, do you know the composition of black powder?" Jounan asked, and was surprised when angelica nodded. She put her curiosity about Angelica's knowledge on hold while she gave Angelica her instructions.

"Alright, I want you to create as much black powder as you can," Jounan ordered. "Think of the composition and create the black powder."

Angelica nodded, and began to think of the critical compoents of black powder, which included a nitrate, carbon, and sulfur. She used a mixture she saw promoted once that was described as a very efficient mixture, producing less smoke and debris in the barrel. She then felt the powder fill her hand, and she quickly let it fall in a bowl that Jounan was giving her.

She watched as the amount grew, and in a few moments she felt herself hit a barrier, and she stopped producing the black powder. She looked down at the amount and noted that it looked similar to the amount of smokeless powder she had created. Jounan smiled at the result.

"Well now, this proves one idea I had," Jounan said. "Angelica, your ability is to be able to create chemical compounds and then ignite them." Angelica tilted her head; wasn't this already the point. Jounan must've picked up on Angelica's thoughts as she clarified.

"So far you only been able to create smokeless powder, but with this test you have proven you could create other compounds," Jounan explained. "Thus, with enough training, you could be taught how to make other compounds, other formulas, to make new and more power reactions."

Angelica nodded, now getting at what Jounan was saying. She then thought about other chemical compositions she knew, and wondered how many she could create. She then quickly burnt up the black powder, as she thought of another composition; thermite.

A mixture of iron oxide and aluminum, thermite was a highly energetic compound capable of producing very high temperatures and melting through several layers of steel before the reaction ended. She thought of a composition she had read about once, but when she tried to apply it she felt the same block as when she tried to make anymore black or smokeless powder.

"Were you trying something?" Jounan asked.

"Yes, I was trying to create thermite," Angelica said, feeling slightly defeated by her inability to do so. Wasn't it simpler than either smokeless or black powder? But Jounan chuckled.

"Good," Jounan said. "At least now you are thinking of new possibilities. Let's however try something more interesting." She took out a simple pipe and some ball bearings and set them on the bench that they were standing next to.

"Angelica, I want you to create black powder in the pipe, load a ball bearing, then light it," Jounan instructed. Angelica nodded, realizing what she was doing; she was creating a gun with her ability. She did as she was told, aiming the barrel at a empty part of the field.

She rubbed the black powder pack and ignited it, causing it to combust and propel the projectile out of the barrel, but Angelic knew that it was ill-fated. She had created a simple musket, however gases were escaping through the area her thumb covered the back, the barrel was extremely short, and the round was lighter than what would really be used.

Jounan however watched the shot go out twenty feet before beginning to drop to the ground. She saw Angelica's face and notice it was in the look of pre-knowledge of how 'weak' the shot would be. She knew Angelica was hiding something, how would a girl know so much about military related material at her age?

"Very good Angelica, though I suppose you know why the shot didn't go that far out?" Angelica nodded. "Alright then, let's figure out the barrier from creating more fuel and different fuel." Jounan took out a book containing the composition of several extremely simple chemical compounds. She gave Angelica the easiest ones, and watched as she was able to create them, until she reached the energetic thermite. Jounan noted that the reactions in the earlier works weren't as energetic as thermite.

"Angelica, I think the reason you are having trouble with creating thermite is because the reaction of the thermite reaction is currently higher than you can process, and thus you can even create it."

"So how will I get around this?" Angelica asked. Jounan thought about it when she thought of a simple solution.

"Angelica, you say you understand the composition of thermite, correct?" Angelica nodded. "Very well, then write it down so I can show you the reaction process." Jounan watched as Angelica wrote the chemical formula for thermite surprisingly well.

"Alright, for any chemical reaction, there is the input, which you have written, and the output, which is what remains. What you are trying to do is get the output with thermite. From your composition, you begin with iron-oxide three plus aluminum, but the output becomes iron, aluminum-oxide, and a large amount of heat."

"Now, I want you to imagine the chemical process in its entirety, and not just the chemical composition of thermite." Angelica nodded, and began to think about the entire chemical process, but still she couldn't make it. Angelica was about to sigh defeat when Jounan had an idea.

"Angelica, I think a problem with creating thermite is that creating it in your hand would be hazardous if you ignite it," Jounan said. "So in theory, if you expand your ignition distance, we might get past the issue of self-inflicted harm."

While Angelica thought about this idea, Jounan knew it was a practical limit for most espers. Take electro-masters. If they lacked the ability to prevent an electric current from harming them, they couldn't handle the electrical charge. But once that barrier is broken (usually in level 1), they can then begin to experiment more freely with their ability.

But Angelica's Bomb Maker is inherently dangerous and complex. She not only has to consider the difficulty of creating the explosive material, but also the risks associated with it. If the threat is too close, her ability is turned off and thus presents a limit to the amount of power she could deploy near her.

"Angelica, do you know how most pyrokinetics create the ignition point?" Jounan asked.

"They manipulate the oxygen at the point of ignition to combust," Angelica answered correctly.

"Very good," Jounan said. "However, I believe that we can work around the issue you have to physical snap to ignite your compounds." Jounan than gave Angelica a bit an explanation of how she could theoretically ignite material at a distance, by making use of highly oxygenated air.

Oxygen, in its pure state, is highly combustible and thus is a necessary ingredient in almost all explosives, in the form of an oxidizer. Jounan believed that Angelica could create a flow of oxygen to the material mass, and then ignite it remotely.

"Alright Angelica, give it a shot," Jounan urged, placing the pile of gunpowder Angelica had created about a meter away. She saw Angelica thinking of the components of the air, and removing in her mind everything except oxygen. Angelica then snapped her finger, however the result was less than stellar. The spark was made, but no flow of fire from Angelica's finger to the gunpowder.

"Alright, maybe that won't work," Jounan said. She furrowed her brow, thinking of some ideas. She told them to Angelica, but each idea failed miserably. Jounan sighed, her patience was being tested by this simple barrier in Angelica's ability. She then looked at the time, and noted it was just five to four.

"Well, despite the lack of long range ignition, good work Angelica," Jounan said. "Now then, as it is approaching the end of our lesson, I want you to write up the input and output to as many chemical reactions as you can, within the confines of your ability of course. This list will be due the next time we meet."

"Yes Ms. Jounan," Angelica said, grabbing her things. She then was curious about something unrelated to her ability. "Ms. Jounan, what time is curfew?"

"Eight o'clock Ms. Costa," Jounan said as she began to grab her clipboard. "Don't be late returning to your dorm."

"I won't," Angelica promised. She headed back to her dorm to off her books before heading out to explore the city. She was glad that the male students who harassed her earlier went in sight, so Angelica headed out, and went to a nearby store where she could get a discount on some books.

She headed to the store, and was surprised to see that despite the high foot traffic and the cars driving by, there weren't any accidents. She walked a few blocks, humming the tune to the Italian national anthem, before she got to the store Book On.

She entered through the door, and she waved at the clerk.

"Ah, a Nagatenjouki student," the clerk said. "First time here?"

"Yes sir," Angelica responded. The clerk asked for her ID, and when she did he swipe it and returned it to her along with a membership card.

"This will get you your discount, and the first book you buy is free," the clerk said. "Now then, do you have any question regarding our selection?"

Angelica shook her head, and began to head to the back, where they had the catalogs and magazines. She was interested in keeping up with her predilections for firearms, and she knew that there was bound to be a couple of catalogs displaying the development from her favorite gun manufacturer.

She began to cruise past the selection, trying to find what she was looking for when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" Angelica apologized quickly, before getting a look at the girl. She had her hair in twin pigtails, and Angelica recognized her. "Kuroko?"

Kuroko, who had been busy looking for a catalog on the latest technology that Academy City, looked up and saw Angelica smiling at her.

"Hi Angelica!" Kuroko said, hugging the dark hair girl. "So how did you SYSTEM Scan go?" That was when Kuroko saw the Nagatenjouki uniform.

"You got into Nagatenjouki?" Kuroko asked. "How did you…" Angelica shrugged.

"After my entrance exam and my SYSTEM Scan, I was offered an enrollment deal from them," Angelica said. "But with regards to the SYSTEM Scan, I am a Level 1 Bomb Maker!"

Kuroko processed the information given to her by Angelica. She knew the top academies didn't offer enrollment contracts lightly, so something with Angelica impressed them. She then thought about Angelica's ability, and realized she hadn't heard of it before.

"Bomb Maker? I haven't heard of that ability before," Kuroko confessed. "What does it do?"

"I can create explosive material from chemical composition and ignite them," Angelica explained quickly. "But I am only a Level 1 at the moment, though I am a high Level 1."

"Don't worry about your level at the moment," Kuroko said. "You have teachers and practice to improve your ability level. So what are you here for?" Angelica shrugged.

"I thought I get a catalog about firearms," Angelica said, as she began skimming the selection of catalogs, until she found such a catalog. "Found it!"

Kuroko watched as Angelica read the catalog excitedly, confused by her fascination with firearms. Perhaps things were different from where Angelica was from. She sighed; the young girl was very enigmatic.

"So Angelica, how is Nagatenjouki?" Kuroko asked. Angelica who was busy reading about the cost of the new IWS-2000, took a moment to respond.

"Even though I am in seventh grade classes, I am not having trouble with them," Angelica admitted. "I was rather bored, with no one to keep me company." Kuroko nodded.

"So classes are easy for you then?"

"No, I just don't have trouble paying attention to what the teachers say, and I usually get the correct answer after a few attempts," Angelica said. She saw she had a couple of hours before needing to return to the dorms. She yawned.

"Hey Angelica, have you gotten your first payment?" Kuroko asked.

"No, why?" Angelica inquired.

"Oh, I was thinking if you had maybe we could find you a phone so we can keep in contact," Kuroko suggested. Angelica was about to speak when Kuroko's phone went off. Kuroko answered it.

"Hello," Kuroko began. "What is it?" Angelica couldn't make out the other person's side of the conversation, causing her to wonder what was being said.

"Oh, what?! But that wasn't supposed to be due until…fine I will go get what we need," Kuroko said, her tone clipped and annoyed. "Sorry Angelica, but I got to pick some things, maybe we can hang out Friday?"

Angelica thought about it, it would be the weekend and she didn't have any plans as far as she knew.

"Okay," Angelica agreed. "I should also get my first payment then." Kuroko nodded, and ran off, leaving Angelica to head to the counter and make her purchase, with the clerk shaking his head at her selection.

"Girls these days," he muttered as Angelica left Book On. She began to debate if there was anywhere else she could go. She lacked money and she didn't have any friends; she didn't want to call Kuroko a friend just yet. She sighed and headed back to her dorm, humming to herself.

Angelica walked into the dorm parking lot, and yawned as she saw various students hanging out chatting. Angelica looked at them, with a sense of envy. She only was close to the other girls at the SWA due to their common mission to take on the FRF. The girls were close to one another, but Angelica wasn't ever close to them due to her degrading memory being off-putting to the others. She walked up the stairwell, her mind going on the subject of how come she was alive and Marco wasn't.

Surely, if she was alive, shouldn't he be alive? A cyborg would rather die and let their handler live than to live and see their handler die, right? Was she rendered unconscious and Marco tried to save her? That was the only one that made sense, in fact what else could it be; she knew that she probably would've killed herself if he had died before her.

She opened her dorm room and locked it once she was inside. She went to her bedroom and laid on her bed, curling up in confusion. She tried to push the thoughts of how Marco died out of her head, only to see a quick glimpse of a blonde man with a tattoo on his face snarling at- she tried to remember what he was snarling at, but Angelica couldn't remember. She grew annoyed, so she decided to take a piece of paper out and drew his facial features. When she was done, she pinned the picture on a tack board that she found in her room.

She looked at the man, and for no reasons she could explain felt disgust and anger at him. She just had a gut instinct that he was responsible for her staying in Academy City, and somehow knew he was involved with Marco's death. She then voiced her disgust.

"I don't know who you are, but if you are responsible for Marco's death, I will kill you."

* * *

The next three days went by without a change in pace, and Angelica wondered if all the days she would have at Nagatenjouki would be like this. She sighed as she began her private lesson with Jounan, and today they were trying to extend the reach of Angelica's ignition distance yet again. On Wednesday, she hadn't been able to achieve non-physical ignition, and this irritated Angelica.

This time Jounan suggested that Angelica focus on the idea that she could mirror the result of her snaps directly into the gunpowder pile. Angelica nodded and attempted to do that, thinking that the friction in her hand traveling to the pile, and igniting it.

However, this didn't work, and Angelica began to panic. She saw the look of annoyance on Jounan's face, one she had seen in Marco's face too many time. She began to rapidly snap her finger, trying to get the reaction.

"Darn it!" Angelica said. She began to glare at the gunpowder and was focused on igniting it through sheer force of will. To hell with these mental process, she wasn't going to disappoint Ms. Jounan! She began to snap her fingers, faster and faster, trying in earnest to ignite the gunpowder.

"Angelica, stop," Jounan said lightly. She then saw the girl was in a trance, and was snapping her fingers, and began to see them turn red from the friction she was creating. "Angelica, seriously stop."

But Angelica kept going. She was going to ignite the gunpowder, one way or another. Her snapping increased, and her concentration of the chemical process became more clear and refined. Continuing in spite of Jounan's pleas, Angelica felt her anger boiling over. She then had a flash-back.

_Angelica had gotten out of the hospital, and was walking to the kill house to engage in a live fire exercise with Rico. She looked at Marco and smiled, looking forward to please him. She got into position, and when Rico threw in the flash bang grenade, she and Rico moved in. Firing burst at the targets and quickly advancing, she neutralized them._

_But when she turned to clear the next room, she took a step on a pile of bullets. Losing her footing, Angelica fell to the ground, flat on her back. Rico came over to help her up._

"_Angelica, are you ok?" Rico asked. Angelica nodded, but secretly she was dreading the look on Marco's face. She got up, but she noticed she had gotten a limp. She knew that she had twisted her ankle._

"_Angelica, what happened in there?" Marco demanded. His face was stern and angry._

"_I fell sir," Angelica admitted. "But I'm alright, let me…" Marco glared at her._

"_Damn it Angelica, I knew it was too soon to have you in practice!" Marco yelled more to himself than at her. "Go see Dr. Bianchi, your done for the evening." He turned and walked away. Angelica felt her heart plummet; she had disappointed Marco yet again._

Angelica looked at the pile of gunpowder, and she kept snapping her fingers, trying to get it to work to please Jounan. She began to feel the same sadness that compelled her to work harder and through the pain in her time at the SWA overtaking her. _I can't fail Ms. Jounan, not like I failed Marco! _

The next snap that Angelica took, the pile burnt up, causing Angelica to pause. Had she finally been able to achieve remote ignition? She kept staring at the gunpowder pile in confusion, until she felt Jounan's hand on her shoulder.

"Angelica, are you ok?" Jounan asked, her face torn between glee and concern. She was glad that Angelica had been able to achieve remote ignition, but the fact that Angelica lost all her situational awareness made her very concern. She saw Angelica nod.

"I am fine, I just had a flashback was all," Angelica said. Jounan creased her brows; sometimes espers could break barriers by using past memories as motivation to push on ahead, but what past memory Angelica used determined her personal reality.

"Angelica, what was the memory about, and how did it motivate you?" Jounan asked. Angelica sighed.

"I thought about a time that I disappointed my father," Angelica lied. "I didn't want to fail you like I failed him." Jounan, at that moment, felt a bit sick at the explanation. She knelt down to Angelica and patted her head, trying to calm Angelica down. But she needed to know more about the memory, so she braced herself for the answer.

"Angelica, how did you fail your father?" Jounan asked. Angelica froze; she been in the moment and didn't realize she spoke of her memory. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I rather not talk about it," Angelica replied, hoping to bury the memory quickly. Jounan sighed; it was clear that whatever the memory was about, it was either very private or very serious. She decided to find out another way.

"Alright Angelica," Jounan said. "Want to try again, to make sure it wasn't a fluke?" Angelica nodded, and she quickly created another pile of gunpowder and stepped away from it. But before Angelica snapped her finger, Jounan set up a high speed motion camera, to record the results.

Angelica snapped her finger, and the pile went up in smoke. Jounan could see a spark at the start of the reaction, so she believed the mirroring method was working. She smiled.

"Very good Angelica," Jounan praised the young girl. "How about we wrap up the lesson and call it a day; I think you deserve that much."

"If you think that is best," Angelica said, still a bit concerned what would happen if Jounan learned of her past in the SWA and weary of any further interaction, at least for today.

"I do," Jounan said. She figured that spending only three lessons to accomplish a remote ignition was impressive, and thus she could call the lesson off early. "Anyway Ms. Costa, see you Monday."

"Yes Ms. Jounan," Angelica said, and she grabbed her bag and ran off to drop her things off at her dorm. After dropping her books off, Angelica rushed off to meet with Kuroko at the Book On store. She ran at full tilt, only stopping due to cross lights and not wanting to bull rush through people. When she arrived, she found Kuroko standing there, waiting for her.

"Hello Angelica," Kuroko said. "Do you have your money?" Angelica nodded.

"Yes, I have a fair amount of money to spend," Angelica said. "So I assume you want me to get a phone first?"

"Of course," Kruoko said. "A proper lady must be able to get in contact with her friends without the constant need of making plans in advance." Angelica tilted her head; this was the first time Kuroko brought up her opinions of a proper lady. But she nodded anyways, she wanted to have a cell phone if for nothing else than to say she had one.

"Alright then, lead on," Angelica said. She followed behind Kuroko, unaware of what was happening in District 19, and how it related to her.

* * *

To say a not everyone made it in Academy City is a bit of a staggering understatement. While you hear about all the work in esper development and the advance technology, the vast majority of the population had to deal with the struggles of everyday citizens, on top of the city's unique problems.

One such person was walking to his gang's hideout. He was a Level 0, he wasn't incredibly smart, and he got into trouble with Judgment and Anti-skill for his habit of trying to steal cars, despite his young age of thirteen. He sighed, beliddingly himself in his head.

_Why can't I be worth something? Why must I be powerless in this city where anyone can burn, electrocute, throw you into a wall, teleport on your ass, and all the other bullshit? Why can't I find my place in this infernal city?_

He opened the door, and saw his boss, Komaba Ritoku, talking with a foreign gentleman. The gentleman looked Italian, and he could tell from his stance that he wasn't here for an exchange of goods; he were here to either grab someone or put them six feet under. He sighed, with his luck he probably was going to get his ass on the line.

His boss turned and looked at him, smiling.

"Hamazura, get over here," Komaba called out. Hamazura shrugged and walked over and began to wonder what was going on.

"Mr. Mosconi here has some business he needs to conclude in the city within a week," Komaba informed Hamazura. He turned to the Italian. "This is my procurement specialist, Hamazura Shiage. Don't let his age fool you, you need something, he can help you get it."

"Hamazura, nice to make your acquittance," Benito said. "Now then, can we get to the business at hand?"

"Of course," Komaba said. "What is it you need?" Benito chuckled, and pulled out a list he had created beforehand.

"I need to arm myself and six associates," Benito began to explain. "However, it can't be simple off the street guns; we need heavier firepower."

"What for?" Komaba asked. "If whatever you have rains hell on our efforts, I will refuse to help you and your associates." Hamazura silently hoped that it would end the discussion, with the Italain leaving, cursing them for not helping. But this wasn't the case.

"Don't worry about any fallout," Benito said. "My business is strictly off the record, and if you do get questioned about it, you can say it was some foreigners trying to get guns they couldn't get anywhere else."

"Very well," Komaba said after thinking it over. "I have to meet with some of the other leaders in Skill-Out, so discussed what you need with Hamazura." Komaba left, leaving Hamazura alone with the Italian.

"Ah well, I can deal with working with a middle man," Benito muttered. "Hamazura, do you know of anywhere we can get some serious firepower?"

"What do you mean?" Hamazura asked. If this guy just wanted some assault rifles, maybe a few home-made bombs, Hamazura could easily acquire them.

"Well, take a look at this list," Benito said, handing Hamazura the list. Hamazura looked at the list.

At first, it was pretty basic. Six assault rifles with three mags each, plenty of ammunition, a couple of high-powered pistols, and that was when it became a bit more complicated. Next, Benito asked for a box of grenades, a high powered sniper rifle, and finally either a grenade launcher or a rocket launcher. Hamazura paled.

"Just what are you doing that requires this much firepower?" Hamazura asked, while thinking mentally where he could acquire this much firepower. Benito chuckled.

"You clearly don't watch the foreign affairs section of the news, do you?" Benito asked.

"No, I am too busy running to avoid getting caught by Anti-Skill and making sure that my gang has the items we need," Hamazura said. Benito smirked at the response.

"Well, let me give you a brief lesson with what has been happening in my country," Benito said. "A few years ago, a group called the Five Republics Faction made a movement to liberate the five northern republics in Italy, to free themselves from the control of the Southern Republics, who were taxing the north to build the south up."

"However, the government, fearing the loss of the north and not wanting to appear weak, labeled the FRF as terrorists and they began operations to take the FRF out. However, with standard tactics, they could only do so much."

"So the government made an agency, the Social Welfare Agency, to act as a silent counter-terrorist organization. On the surface, they look like a charity organization trying to help rebuild people's lives, but in secret they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of proud Italians."

"You realize that you sound a bit paranoid," Hamazura pointed out. "I mean, wouldn't people notice black op soldiers working with the SWA?"

"Sure, but they aren't using black ops soldiers," Benito explained. "Oh no, they use children that should be by all rights be dead. But using their technology, they rebuild them and use them as child soldiers." Hamazura looked at him, doubting the legitimacy of the Italian's statement, but he had to get the man his wares.

"Well, enough about your fight against the SWA," Hamazura said, knowing that Benito belong with the FRF. "If you want anything like this, then I am going to need a few days and probably you and your associate's help."

"And why might that be?" Benito asked. Hamazura tapped the list and looked at Benito.

"Because the only place they are going to have this amount of firepower would be in a Anti-Skill warehouse, and since I can't carry over a two hundred kilograms worth of gear in one go, I will need some help loading it into a van."

Benito looked at the kid, debating whether to tell the kid he has to go on his own and acquire the guns or to help the kid. He decision came down to the fact that he couldn't waste too much time in the city or Cristiano would have his head and send the kid out to kill the cyborg.

"Fine, give me a time and a location and we will meet you there," Benito said. "And don't worry about payment, I discussed it with your boss already." Hamazura gave the Italian the location, and told him to be there in a few hours with a van and his men.

Hamazura watched Benito walk out of the hideout, and he shook his head taking a seat on one of the chairs in the hideout. He knew this job reeked of trouble, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was just a small fry in the gang, and he had nothing to make him stand out.

He leaned back, looking at the ceiling. He watched as parts of the paint fell to the ground, thinking what in the world a group of Italian terrorist were doing in Academy City. He pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that later he would enter the fire. He just hoped that no one would know what he had done.

* * *

**Author's notes: Ah the end of the build-up chapters, now time to include story arcs! Now to explain what I mean.**

**These first four chapters have been building up to where I can comfortable start making arcs. This is crucial as until we get to the start of the Raildex arcs we will be using orginal material, and arcs keeps the story focus and keeps it moving.**

**We have just seen Hamazura, when he is still small fry in Skill-Out. This story will make certain Hamazura gets some back story that adds some depth to the blonde bad ass. The first arc will also see the arrival of everyone's favorite albino, so there is that to look forward to. But now to the reviews;**

**-Triser: In theory, Angelica could kill Accelerator by snuffing out the oxygen around him using an explosive like a Fuel air bomb or a Thermobaric bomb. But both of these are highly complex and would take considerable calculations to correctly get the right amount of each explosive and to not prevent either a dud or an overexplosion. **

**What I mean by this is that when the US was testing the Caste Bravo bomb, they miscalculated, and thus set the test up for a much smaller bomb, only to make a bomb that was only rivaled by the Tsar Bomba. So imagine the danger is Angelica plays fast and loose with her ability.**

**I agree with you assessment that Touma wouldn't be able to stop the explosion once in effect. If he were to stop it from happening, he would have to reach the bomb and touch that. And as to Saiai's ability, it is lame, sure it makes her pretty sturdy, but its still meh.**

**-Guest #1: About Marco's death and Angelica's current indifference to it, I will be addressing it, it is a plot point, and we see in this chapter she is doing it as a self-defense mechanism. She doesn't want to keep dwelling on his death as it makes her question herself and why she lived and why he died. It's like survivor's remorse, except she has actual guilt in that his life should've been in her hands (sure the situation was out of her hand, but still).**

**-Guest #2: Glad you are enjoying the story so far. Yes, the story is 2 years before the events of the light novels, and I subscribe to the idea Kuroko is a late 12 year old. She is one year younger (about) than Misaka, and Misaka is thirteen (from what I can tell).**

**I covered the issue with remote ignition in this chapter, mainly because of what is going to happen in the upcoming arc. Her ability isn't the best yet, but it scales relatively fast. And yes, her ability is well suited to the darkness of Academy City, and this arc sees her slipping into the darkness, though it isn't like she got greedy for power. Rather, she tries to take things into her hands and ends up making a Faustian deal that causes her descent.**

**And we will see the project and the esper it concerns. What becomes of the project and how it interacts with Angelica I promise will be interesting.**

**Alright guys, as always, please follow, favorite, and review! **


	5. Chapter Four: Assassination Arc

**Assassination Arc**

Chapter Four: First Contact

* * *

Angelica was with Kuroko, enjoying examining the new phone that she had picked out, with Kuroko's help. She was engrossed with the amount that this phone could do, from access to the city's internet to making international calls to even providing GPS location of where she was. Granted, she wasn't unused to technology, but to see it from something that wasn't intrinsically designed to be used for warfare was new to her.

"I take it you like the phone?" Kuroko asked. Angelica nodded.

"Very much so," Angelica replied kindly. "So Kuroko, what else shall we do?" She saw Kuroko pause, thinking what to do.

"How about, wait, they opened a new diner nearby, want to get a bite to eat?" Angelica nodded, and she was following Kuroko to the diner. Along the way, they talked about their schools, and Angelica found it odd that Kuroko, despite her disposition when they first met, didn't have that many friends. Wouldn't someone that was eager to do things get along with others?

But she remained mute on the topic, instead listening to Kuroko talking about the work on the massive space elevator that she was assured would make Academy City control most space exploration due to the ease and cost efficiency such a structure would have in the field. Angelica however saw the structure as a large target that would be taken out first by anyone who held a grudge against the city. It was then Kuroko changed subjects.

"So Angelica, where're you from?" Kuroko asked.

"I'm from Italy," Angelica said. "A bit north of Rome. Though why do you ask?"

"I was curious," Kuroko said. "I find it odd that despite you clearly being foreign to the region that you can speak nearly perfect Japanese and you seem to enjoy firearms."

"What's odd with liking firearms?" Angelica asked. "I grew up with them, so I am naturally inclined to be interested in them." She saw Kuroko sighed, but at this point the arrived at the diner.

"How many, two?" the server asked. They nodded and were lead to a booth along the window. "I will be back to get you some water and here's the menu." The server left, leaving Kuroko and Angelica alone.

"But still," Kuroko began, picking off where they left off. "A lady such as you shouldn't be fond of such barbaric tools."

"Oh?" Angelica asked. "I'm sorry, but my father being a police officer and the tensions in Italy made knowing such barbaric tools, as you put it, almost like knowing the alphabet."

"Is the tension in Italy that bad that a young lady such as you needs to know guns?" Kuroko asked, leaning against the window.

"Not all the time," Angelica said. "But still, with bombings, assassinations, and abductions going about due to the political instability in the Northern parts of the nation, my father insisted I know about firearms and how to use them, on the off chance I needed to protect myself."

"That's a bit extreme," Kuroko said. "I am all for self-defense, I learn aikido and basic grappling techniques for instance. But I don't see the need to use firearms to defend themselves, they can causes serious injuries even without any training."

Angelica saw Kuroko's point, but she also knew that Kuroko didn't have to face terrorist armed with automatic weapons outnumbered. She began to look through the menu while she continued the conversation.

"Well, that may be true for most cases, but sometimes a firearm is the only thing that keeps good people from dying at the hands of those who wish chaos," Angelica countered. "I know my father risked his life on a regular basis, and he always carried a gun to protect himself."

"But he probably used it as a last resort," Kuroko said, to which Angelica had to refrain from snickering. Marco, trying to give terrorist a chance, the notion was pathetic. But she had to nod.

"Sure he did," Angelica lied. "But there were times he had to take down a suspect with lethal force." Kuroko shook her head softly, and the server was back with their water and took their order. When she left, Kuroko switched topics.

"So Angelica, what about your family, what were they like?" Kuroko asked. Angelica felt a prick of panic creeping in, the conditioning was now no longer providing anything to counteract natural responses. She tried to come up with a plausible explanation.

"Well, my father was a police officer who held high standards for me and expected me to meet them," Angelica said, trying to simplify Marco. Now came the harder bit. "As for my mother, I didn't know her that well, she died when I was young."

Angelica saw Kuroko look at her, doubting her story. Kuroko tapped the table with her finger.

"Well, if that is all there is to talk about…" Kuroko said, leaving her sentence unfinished, which made Angelica feel bad. Angelica wanted to tell the truth, but how the hell would Kuroko even understand?

"Listen, my family wasn't the best one, but it was all I had," Angelica said. "We weren't well off, but we weren't starving either. I didn't have the luxury of some of the other kids, mainly because my father was a cop and the FRF would often try to bribe or take him out for being a clean cop." This made Kuroko seem to believe her story a bit more.

"Alright," Kuroko said. "I didn't think it was that bad in Italy. I just thought there was a bit more of your family to talk about."

"Well, it got pretty bad in Italy," Angelica said. "It was one of the reasons my father wanted me to go to school here, to be away from the chaos that was going on."

"I can understand that, but wouldn't you have missed your father?" Kuroko asked, not knowing how much of a low blow that felt to Angelica. Angelica tighten her jaw a little bit, thinking about how she didn't know how Marco died, and how come she was still alive.

"I would've," Angelica said a bit stiffly. "But I guess it doesn't matter now, now does it, considering how he is dead." She hung her head down, the guilt of her living getting the better of her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Kuroko said, trying to get Angelica from being too emotional. "I didn't mean to be insensitive or anything!"

"It's ok," Angelica said, after wiping a tear away. "I just odd, you know? You used to having someone with you, and then the next they are gone."

"I understand," Kuroko said. She was about to say something when the server came with their meals.

"Here you go," the server said. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not right now," Kuroko said, waiting for the server to leave before continuing. "Angelica, if you want, you can talk to me about it if it becomes too much for you, alright?"

"Sure," Angelica said before she dug into the meal. She was enjoying the salmon she ordered when she noticed a man who walked in with three others. She recognized him from a briefing at the SWA; Benito Mosconi, a FRF terrorist who operated in the Venetian Cell, operating as a spy and as an assassin. She immediately began to eavesdrop on his conversation.

"So, when are we picking up the package?" one of the Italian men asked.

"According to our friends, we are to help pick the package up in two hours," Benito said. "Just worry about running into the target, don't need her running off and going into hiding."

Angelica immediately knew what they were talking about; they were talking about her. She tried to conceal herself, turning her head to look out the window, while maintaining the eavesdrop.

"So you think our man will be able to get us the hardware we need?" another one of the FRF soldiers said.

"He may be young, but hey, the young ones are full of life and can be surprising," Benito said. "Get something to eat and be quick about it."

Angelica quickly texted Kuroko, setting her own phone to vibrate.

_Kuroko, we need to get out of here._

Kuroko upon receiving the text looked at Angelica, but sensing her unease, texted back.

_What is this about? _

_ Not enough time to explain, I need to get out of here, and fast._

_ Alright, I will pay for the bill so you can leave, but you owe me an explanation later._

_ Fair enough, I will text you about it later. _Angelica grabbed her bag and began to head to the door. She managed to walk past Benito and his men easily, using the approaching server as cover. She thought she was in the clear, but her luck ran out.

Paying attention to Benito and his men, Angelica walked into a blonde hair kid wearing an orange sweatshirt.

"Hey, watch it!" Hamazura yelled out. Angelica was knocked over, and she was getting up when she looked back, looking straight into Benito's eyes. He glared at her for a moment, but Angelica knew she was made.

"Mr. Shiage, grab that girl!" Benito yelled out, and Angelica saw his men already closing the distance. She turned and saw Hamazura dumbfounded.

"Eh?" he merely said, but it was enough of a delay for Angelica to react. Using her position, she kicked his legs from out underneath him. When he began to fall, she jumped up and twisted his arm around his back and got behind him.

She positioned him between her and Benito's men and once she was certain of her position, kicked Hamazura into Benito's men. He was sent flying into the group, knocking two of them immediately, the third having jumped out of the way. Angelica then turned and ran out of the diner, making her way down the crowded streets.

To her surprise, Benito's men and Hamazura didn't continue pursuit as she looked back. She quickened her pace, hell bent on getting back to Nagatenjouki before curfew, determined to form a plan to get the FRF soldiers off her back.

* * *

"Damn it!" Benito yelled. He got up and quickly grabbed both of his men and Hamazura and began dragging them to the van. "She fucking knows we are on her now!"

"What, you are after that little girl?!" Hamazura barely got out as he was thrown into the van. The third soldier and Benito got into the van, and they sped away from the diner, heading to their objective.

"Hey, what the fuck is going on?!" Hamazura yelled. "If you guys are after a little girl…"

"It's none of your damn business!" Benito bellowed out, silencing Hamazura. "You are to get us the guns and ammo we need, nothing more and nothing less! What we intend to do with those weapons isn't a damn bit of your concern."

Hamazura lowered his head, in disbelief at the predictament he found himself in. He gotten his ass handed to him by that dark hair girl he ran into, and now was expected to supply these Italians with enough firepower to take on a large police force. He sighed, deciding that if he couldn't stop them , he could at least figure out their motives and warn his boss.

"Mind telling me then how I got my ass handed to me?" Hamazura asked. One of the soldiers, one named Martin, spoke up.

"That little girl is a cyborg that the SWA uses as attack dogs against us," Martin said. "They have been made to ignored pain, have above human strength, and are fiercely fanatical to their handlers."

"But what makes this one worse is that she isn't without her handler," Benito interjected. "She is for one reason or another here in the city, and the higher ups want her dealt with."

Hamazura tried to rationalize this, but he couldn't. Was it worth killing a little girl, even one that had cybernetic upgrades? _Well, so much for being a good guy, _he thought to himself. _You got dragged into this shit, and now you are helping kill a young girl. _

He remained silent, and soon he heard the van slowing down.

"Is this the place?" Benito asked, and allowed Hamazura to get a look out of the window. Hamazura saw the massive concrete building that had several wings, barb wire fencing, and a couple of guards. He nodded; this was one of Anti-Skill's weapon armories.

"This is it," Hamazura said. "Here we should be able to get your firepower for your mission." He made it clear with his tone that he disapproved of it, but Benito shrugged, not caring about the young man's opinion.

"Good for me," Benito said. He turned to his men. "Martin, Lucas, and Sean, let's go." Hamazura opened the van and began to lead the Italians to a little known entrance to the armory. He opened a water grate, one that was supposed to allow water from the armory to flow into the city and keep people out. But he and a few others at Skill-Out, desperate to give themselves an advantage, had undid the welds to the grate, and snuck into the armory to get some handguns.

Hamazura checked the welds, and sighed, glad that Anti-Skill hadn't caught on quite yet. He twisted the grate, and crawled through the grate. He crouched, and checked that none of the guards were looking his way. He motioned for the others to follow through.

Once all the Italians got through the grate, he motioned them to stay down.

"All right, we need to deal with the guards," Hamazura said. "Now, those two should be all there is, however, they will stand at the door at all times." He was about to add that they would have to wait for one of them to get tired and leave, but he heard Benito screwing something together. Turning around, he saw that something was a suppressor to a M4 Spectre SMG.

"Are you mad?" Hamazura hissed. "if they are killed, Anti-skill will put the city onto lockdown." Benito shook his head.

"I wasn't planning on killing them kid," Benito said. "There is more than one way to skin a cat." He raised his weapon and took aim at the Anti-Skill guards, knowing a bit about firearms and bulletproof vests.

Bulletproof vests worked on the principle of increasing the impact time of ammunition. Most commonly, there was a fabric component that would slow the bullet down, and in higher grade BP vest there was a steel sheet to stop higher velocity rounds. This would be a problem if someone was trying to kill someone.

But in Benito's case, this was a hidden advantage. Due to Anti-Skill using higher grade BP vest, a round such as that fired from his SMG, which was already going to be slower due to the addition of the suppressor, would impact and not go through. However, the rounds still impact, and would cause bruising and pain, enough so that he and his men could close the distance and knock them out.

He fired two burst at the guards, and the guards, being human, reacted to the pain, crumpling on the ground.

"Move!" Benito yelled, and he continued to fire short, accurate bursts into the guards, keeping them down and unable to call for reinforcements. His men quickly closed the distance and after Benito ceased firing his men knocked the guards out. Hamazura looked on, terrified at Benito's marksmanship.

"Dear god, you could've killed them!" Hamazura said in shock.

"If I wanted them, yeah, I could've," Benito said. "But last thing I need is the city going into lock down. Boys, give these fine guardians of the city a shot of our cocktail." Hamazura saw Sean and Lucas pull out some injection needles and placed the needle tips under the guards' fingernail. Benito saw Hamazura's confused look, so he explained.

"A little trick I learned from drug addicts," Benito began. "To avoid parole officers from catching on they were doing drugs, they would shoot up the drugs underneath their fingernails, hiding the injection point. But it works with just about anything. In this case, a mild sedative that will make them forget about this little incursion."

Hamazura nodded as he picked the lock on the door. He had it opened in under thirty seconds, and he led the men into the armory. Inside there were shelves loaded with crates, each marked with a code indicating the contents.

"All right guys, split up and collect the materials," Benito ordered. "I'm getting the van to the door so we can load and get the hell on out of here faster." Hamazura watched Benito jog out of the door, and he began by finding the requested rifles and handguns.

He went to a shelf and opened a crate, and saw to his wonder several 10mm auto pistols. These packed a lot of firepower and excellent armor penetration, but the ammo was expensive that only select police forces used them. He grabbed the crate and set it aside.

"Here's the pistols you guys wanted," Hamazura muttered, and saw Sean carrying the crate to the door. Hamazura sighed, and he put aside another crate that held ammo, magazines, laser sights, and suppressors for said pistols. He then went to get the other goods, seeing as how Lucas carrying a crate with SG-553 assault rifles and ammo and mags for them.

He opened another crate, and looked inside to see a massive M82. But Hamazura noted that while it looked normal, it had a selector switch for semi-automatic, burst, and full auto fire settings, and the stock has a built in recoil absorption mechanism.

"This sniper rifle fine with you guys?" Hamazura asked Benito, who came in. Benito looked at the rifle and laughed.

"That a fifty cal, right?" When Hamazura nodded, he laughed even harder. "Don't care who the fuck you are, one shot from this signals the end of your life!" He grabbed the rifle and several boxes of ammo for it and lugged it to the van.

Hamazura opened a crate next to it, and saw that inside was a weapon he never seen. It looked like a supped up version of a M14 battle rifle, but the barrel was larger, the magazine was a round drum mag, and it had a scope built in. He picked up the strange looking rifle, which appeared to have an explosive tip to them.

He was about to shelve it when Benito, who had come back, stopped him.

"Holy shit!" Benito said. "That's a gyro-rifle! Ah, This will do nicely, even better than a rocket launcher or grenade launcher!"

"Er, what?" Hamazura asked.

"Oh, well a gyrojet is one way to get a large round down range with low recoil," Benito explained. "The US experimented with the idea, but it wasn't well received. Looks like your city got it to work. Just grab plenty of ammo for it and we are calling it good."

Hamazura sighed, but did as he was told, quickly grabbing the ammo and loading it into the van. Once they hid all of their efforts in the armory, Hamazura looked at Benito, who was in the driver's seat.

"We done?" Hamazura asked. Benito nodded.

"Yeah, we are done," Benito said. "So, see you around." He then hit the gas, leaving Hamazura to run away from the armory, hoping he didn't have anything more to do with the Italians, but fate is a cruel mistress, as he would find out.

* * *

Yomikawa pulled up to the Joesph's diner, gritting her teeth. She heard from the dispatcher what happened, but she was going to get an eye witness account. She parked her patrol car and walked over to the scene. She saw a couple of Judgment officials already on the scene.

"Calm down," said a girl with round glasses and black hair. "Just tell me what happened." The server breathed deeply before she calmed herself down.

"I walked past the young girl, when she bumped into someone at the entrance. It was then one of the customers, a foreigner from his accent, yelled to the guy to grab the girl. But she managed to escape, and the men ran to their van and sped away."

Yomikawa felt a knot tighten in her stomach; she had a bad feeling about this. Child abductions weren't as rare in Academy city as it ought to be, but that was because the city had an influx of students that many research groups would be willingly to abduct. She approached the Judgment girl.

"I'm Yomikawa from Anti-Skill, got any words regarding what happened?"

"Ah, about that," the girl began. "We just have been getting the same story from everyone. We have a few more to interview, but we don't have details on either the girl or the men."

"I see," Yomikawa said. "Just who might you be?" The girl sighed.

"Konori Mii, officer of the 177th Judgment Branch," Konori said, introducing herself. "I can't believe we had an attempted abduction in broad daylight."

Yomikawa nodded, most occurred at night or in deserted areas. Daylight abductions were crimes of opportunity or of desperation. At this point, Yomikawa saw a girl with auburn double pigtail hairs approach her.

"Um, you said you were Yomikawa, right?" the girl asked. Yomikawa nodded.

"Um, would you know anything about what happened?" Yomikawa asked, curious as to why the girl sought her out. The girl nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Kuroko Shirai, and I was here with my friend, who was the one nearly abducted." Konori turned to her, shocked at this information.

"Why are you waiting for now to tell us this?!" Konori yelled. Kuroko put her hands in front of her.

"Look, my friend Angelica seemed to have panicked and left, and I didn't know who to trust!" Kuroko said, trying to defend herself. Yomikawa however felt her heart drop at the mention of Angelica.

"What?!" Yomikawa said. "What do you mean Angelica panicked?" Konori Mii looked at Yomikawa.

"You know of Angelica?" Konori asked.

"Yeah, and if my idea is right, we could be looking at something worse than child abduction." Yomikawa said. "Now Kuroko, tell me what happened."

"Me and Angelica were at the diner, talking, when the four men came in," Kuroko said. "She began to text me, and told me she needed to get out. I said I would cover the check and allowed her to leave. But she got knocked over by the blonde hair kid, and she ended up using him as a throwing bag to buy herself time to escape."

Yomikawa and Konori nodded.

"These men, including the blonde, what did they look like?" Konori asked. Kuroko took a deep breath before continuing.

"The four men were Italian, the one who yelled at the blonde, and I guess the leader, was tall, messy black hair, and he had a goatee. I had to say he was in his twenties. The others weren't that different or noticeable. The blonde was called Mr. Shiage, and he appeared to be a high schooler, and was wearing an orange sweatshirt."

Konori chuckled, shaking her head. When Yomikawa looked at her, she explained.

"Kuroko here gave us more detail than everyone else in the diner," Konori said. "She has a knack for remembering key details, which probably saved us a bunch of time. Thank you for your help."

"No problem," Kuroko said. "I just want to know my friend is safe." Yomikawa nodded.

"Don't worry, I will make sure nothing happens to her," Yomikawa pledged. She then steered Konori away from the others.

"Listen Konori, I am thinking those men might be from Angelica's past," Yomikawa began to explain. "If they are, she isn't going to be hiding for long."

"What?" Konori asked. "Why do you think that?" Yomikawa sighed.

"Look, the specifics I can't get into, they are above my privilege to disclose, however, let it be said that those men aren't kidnappers, they are trained killers." Konori only seemed to grow more concerned.

"Why would killers be after a girl?" Konori asked. Yomikawa sighed.

"Because she was forced into a shitty situation, and those men are looking to kill her for what she had to do," Yomikawa explained, avoiding telling Konori the truth.

"But right now, we need to find this Mr. Shiage," Yomikawa said. "Search the database and…"

"Um, you looking for this guy?" a young girl said, holding a PDA up to Yomikawa. Yomikawa looked at the girl and noted the hairband with a simple white flower on it, her black hair, and he rounded features.

She took the PDA and saw that the girl had managed to get into Judgment criminal database and pull up a criminal record of one Hamazura Shiage. Yomikawa saw a picture of Shiage, and noted it matched the description that Kuroko provided.

"Uh, yeah, but how did you get into the Judgment database?" Yomikawa asked.

"I er, sort of hacked into it," the girl said. "But I promise I don't fiddle with anything there, I was bored and was wanting to test my skills. I was getting done hacking into it when I overheard your conversation."

Yomikawa and Konori looked at each other. On one hand, they wanted to reprimand the young girl, but on the other, she saved them a bit of time. Yomikawa handed the girl her PDA back.

"Just who might you be?" Yomikawa asked. The girl looked at her.

"I'm not getting into trouble, am I?" the girl asked. Yomikawa shook her head. "Well, I am Uiharu Kazari, fifth grader and hacker extraordinaire." Konori chuckled.

"Well, with your skills, I would be angered if it weren't for you saving us plenty of time with this case," She looked at Yomikawa, who she was certain was having similar thoughts.

"Have you thought about joining Judgment in the sixth grade?" Konori asked. Uiharu's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, sort of," Uiharu said. "But I'm only a Level 1…" Konori smiled.

"Well, you are an esper, and that's what matters," Konori said. "You will have to go through training, but with your computer skills, you could be a valuable asset to our operations." Uiharu smiled and walked off, leaving Konori to turn to Yomikawa.

"So, what shall we do now?" Konori asked. Yomikawa chuckled.

"Let's pick this Hamazura Shiage up," Yomikawa said, her eyes glaring in anger at the thought of Angelica was already being targeted. She got into her patrol car with Konori, and the sped off, determined to find Hamazura.

* * *

Angelica ran into her dorms, sighing as she began to try and formulate a plan. She didn't know just how many people would be after her. She counted four, five if you included the blonde, but there could've been others. She thought about what they would need to either kill or capture her.

She began the mental check list. First, they would need a base of operations, to plan their operations and keep low if the heat was applied to them. Next they would need weapons; this would dictate them having to go to an anti-skill facility and stealing them, as she doubted that FRF soldiers could smuggle weapons into Academy City without detection.

The final thing they would need was an area that they would either ambush Angelica and kill or capture her. This was the only thing that made Angelica panic. It could be anywhere, if they used a high powered rifle and suppressors, or it could restricted, if they were planning on bombing her or if they were using close in weapons.

She began to look at a map of the academy, trying to see if she was safe here. She noted that the high walls and constant surveillance would provide deterrence to any plans that involved getting in close. However, if they had anything like an anti-material rifle, they could target her dorm from across the school yard and on the buildings that surrounded the academy.

Getting up, she immediately closed the blinds, and then for added measures blacked out the windows the best she could, using some of her casual clothes to block out more light. She then set her lights to dim, so less light bled through, and thus preventing her from casting a shadow on the window.

Feeling satisfied she completed this, she then set her mind on the other issue of other places she could be targeted. Her classes at Nagatenjouki Academy were obvious; she couldn't move and her pattern would be predictable. She noted she would have two days then to do something about this.

She looked at the clock, and noted that curfew had begun. She decided to lie down in the room that she had set aside for study, since it lacked windows and it wasn't the obvious room she would be resting in. She closed her eyes, keeping her sleep light, so she could hear of any intrusions.

She began to fall asleep, thinking how this reminded her of her days in the SWA. Back then, she didn't feel afraid, not like she was now. But back then, she had a rifle to her side, Marco behind her, and the other fratellos supporting her in the fight against the FRF. But here she was, without Marco, the fratellos, and a rifle to fall back on.

She didn't have anyone to protect her, other than Yomikawa or the Heaven Canceller, but they could only do so much. Her ability was so weak that she could not depend on it, and her combat efficiency was limited to close range hand to hand combat. She sighed, she needed to dictate the battle.

She fell asleep, trying to form a plan. She knew that she needed to pick an area that offered plenty of cover, was relatively isolated, and allowed her to compensate for her flaws. This crossed out a lot of the city, considering either there would be people or it was narrow and would only serve to funnel herself down their guns.

She ended up awaking early in the morning, about six in the morning. She yawned, trying to determine what she should do. She could go to the authorities, though what good could that do; she would get cornered by their insistence with shoving her in a safe house, or worse, put a big 'target here' by providing someone to keep an eye on her.

She grabbed a glass of water and considered another idea. She could bait them into attacking her where should could have an advantage. But she needed something to balance the odds in her favor. She couldn't go in unarmed, and this meant getting some firepower. But how the hell would she managed to get some weapons; it's not as though the city had a market for guns.

Then she thought of the obvious. In a city so advance, there must be a black market that specialized with getting some of the less secure stuff out, so it reasoned they could get stuff in. But this brought the issue of payment and concealment, but Angelica figured that once she got those figured out where the black market was, she could focus on her safety.

She got redressed, not wanting to attract attention to herself by wearing clothes that looked worn in. She grabbed her bag, taking a kitchen knife just in case, and headed out. She was walking down the stairwell when she saw Jounan walking to her.

"Ms. Costa," Jounan began "I got a call from Judgment and Anti-Skill yesterday, and I had one of them come to my office just now." Angelica sighed; she didn't think that Jounan would be contacted.

"I apologize for the inconvenience Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. Jounan shook her head.

"Don't apologize, I just need to know this; are the other students at risk if what the Judgment officer said is true?" Angelica paused, thinking that unless the FRF got desperate, they wouldn't try anything like a bombing.

"Well, maybe," Angelica said. Jounan sighed.

"Anti-Skill and Judgment want to take you into protective custody until they can track down the men who are trying to kidnap you." Angelica shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I know that's a bad idea, considering I know who is after me," Angelica said. "It would only serve to corner me and make it easier for them to kill me."

Jounan paled; why would anyone want to kill Angelica, and why would she be acting like this wasn't unusual? Most people her age and in her position would be losing their minds panicking, but here she was as cool as ice.

"How exactly do you know they are going to kill you?" Jounan asked. "Is there something you are hiding from either me or Nagatenjouki?"

Angelica felt herself pinned to a wall, unable to determine what to say. She could give the truth, only to either be kicked out of the academy or treated like a child with an overactive imagination, or she could lie and have it bite her in the ass later if the truth came out.

She wanted someone to tell her what to do, for making decisions the impacted many people was stressful to her. She never had to do this; she always had Marco to rely on. She paused; that lie wouldn't be a true lie, only a partial truth. She breathed before answering Jounan.

"The men who are after me are a part of a criminal group that back in Italy my father had imprisoned many of their accomplices," Angelica began, weaving the truth to her needs. "As a result, a price was put on my father's head and I naturally got tagged along with that price."

She watched as Jounan bought the story, rubbing the back of her head, anxious at this information. Jounan sighed; she never had to deal with attempted assassination attempts on a girl's life, and thus she was in the dark in the situation.

"Very well Ms. Costa," Jounan said, sighing defeat. "Anti-Skill and Judgment are tracking down a lead, and if they can't put you in protective custody, would you be opposed to having an escort follow you around?"

Angelica was mentally tearing her hair out; she couldn't have a person following her and preventing her from finding the black market. But she needed to appear flexible.

"Who exactly are you thinking for an escort?" Angelica asked. Jounan chuckled.

"Actually, I was thinking of myself," Jounan said. "I'm a member of Anti-skill, so about the whole an officer visiting me this morning…"

Angelica face-palmed, not even considering that Jounan could be clever and apply pressure whilst lying right in her face. But she considered Jounan the closest person to her, and knew that Jounan probably had experience detecting threats before they became an issue. The biggest plus of this was that Jounan probably had firearms on her, and thus in a pinch Angelica could snag one of the guns and use it to defend herself.

"Alright," Angelica said. "However, I think it would be best if I stayed off campus as much as possible, prevent the men after me from finding me so easily." Jounan nodded.

"I agree," Jounan said, and she lead Angelica to her car. "While we are out, please, don't wander off, don't interact with anyone if I am not around, and lastly if we are found you follow my instructions to the letter."

"Of course," Angelica said. She got into the passenger seat and looked at Jounan, expecting a lengthy day of pseudo interrogations.

* * *

Benito was in a warehouse in district 19, looking in glee with the amount of firepower that kid Hamazura managed to help them get. He was certain this amount of firepower would be more than sufficient to taking out the cyborg. He just now needed to come up with a plan.

He looked at the men he brought. Lucas was busy adjusting the scope of the modified M82 sniper rifle, and he was the team's sniper. He had experience serving as a naval marksman in his time in the Italian navy off the coast of Somalia, where he routinely took down pirates.

Next were Martin and Sean, who were busy loading the various magazines. Both had served in the army, where they saw action in Kosovo and grew disenfranchised with the lack of momentum in the army and thus the nation as a whole.

Behind them was Victor, a Russian gun for hire that had served in the paratroop divisions and had saw extensive service in Chechnya and Georgia. He became a gun for hire for the FRF and quickly grew the reputation as the 'Grim Reaper', often massacring police officers who were against the FRF.

And finally there was Karl, a former member of GSG-9, who was kicked out after he lost his cool during an operation and went on to kill several civilians trying to bag the man responsible for killing his entire squad. He joined up with the FRF as a 'specialist', where he routinely would assassinate several high profile targets with his infiltration skills.

Benito whistled, and got all of the men's attention.

"Alright, listen up," Benito said. "We all know why were are here; to take out the cyborg that our bosses have deemed a threat." He put a picture of Angelica on the tack board.

"Now, we have several options of killing her, but due to our desires to remain off the radar, we will need one that minimizes exposure and maximizes our odds of success. Therefore, we need to ambush her."

He placed a map of the city on the table, where everyone gathered around. He also placed photos of the school Angelica was attending.

"While it would appear wise to take her out while she is in class, due to her being unarmed and easily predictable, this approach would be suicide, as the school is crawling with espers that probably take us out in a heart beat. Thus, if any plan to take her out at the school must be done, it will be done by either Lucas, using the M82 to shove a bullet into her skull, or by Karl, sneaking in there to put a bullet in the back of her head."

"As a result of those actions being high risk, they are back up plans. No, I think I we can drive her to one of the several deserted buildings that litter this city," Benito continued. "We can set up a kill house and prevent her from being able to escape."

"So do you have a particular building in mind?" Victor asked as he slung the gyro-rifle over his shoulder.

"A couple," Benito admitted. "The first is the rail yard complex; excellent line of sight, relatively little foot traffic, and many opportunities to snipe her and kill her easily. However, the issue is that it is large and it would be next to impossible to keep her contained, not unless we were to hire out help, which I doubt there would be anyone suitable for that."

The men grumbled, in particular Martin and Sean, who hated being exposed. Benito had to agree, being opened meant not having cover to avoid bullets flying at you.

"The next area would be a multi-story lab that went under a week ago. It's large, with narrow hallways, large lab bays, and plenty of cover for us. We can literally turn that place into a veritable killing ground. However, the issue would be herding the cyborg there; it is far from Nagatenjouki Academy."

"That won't do then," Karl said. "I don't want to risk losing her herding her to the lab. Also, we could get Anti-Skill and Judgment more involved. What's the final area?"

Benito chuckled.

"The last area is a steel plant. It was being used as a site to manufacture the city's advance drones; however it was closed a couple weeks ago due to a change in manufacturing process. The plant is very open, however, it has plenty of cover and we can take the cat walks that we can take advantage of. Plus, it is quite close to Nagatenjouki, so herding the cyborg will be easy."

The men looked at each. Lucas observed the interior, and with all the hanging steel, dark corners, and concluded that he could provide deadly sniper support. Martin and Sean liked the cover, and knew the terror of urban warfare for the person out numbered. Victor chuckled, the place was probably going to be demolished, so he could let loose with his new found toy. And finally Karl looked at the facility as a plethora of being able to get the jump on the cyborg, regardless of her enhancments.

"This is probably our best location, so get your gear and start setting up, I want to get rid of the cyborg as soon as possible," Benito said. "Also, whoever puts the cyborg into the ground gets a five percent bonus."

Benito watched as his men jumped into high gear, the ecstasy of getting paid to kill one of the death dealing cyborgs was getting them pumped. However, he glanced out of the window and looked at the ominous windowless building that stood near the center of the city. The look of that tower sent an unearthly chill down his back, and knew that its existence meant the city had its own darkness, possibly one that rivalled Italy's. He grabbed and holstered one of the 10mm auto pistols, making sure he wasn't caught off guard for any reason.

* * *

Angelica stifled a yawn, growing tired from the constant edge of feeling hunted. She saw Jounan was feeling the stress of it as well. The day however was unexceptional, no attempts were made on her, and Jounan had been keeping her on the move.

They first went to an indoor spa, where Angelica could tell that many of the people were members of Anti-Skill due to their fit physique. Angelica found it slightly relaxing, but the effects of the spa mattered little to her; she was trying to make sure no one got to her.

They then headed to get something to eat, and while Jounan tried to get her to open up about her past, trying to figure out what would make the Italians come after her, Angelica had both made sure they got a seat in the back of the place and avoid giving too much detail to Jounan.

They were now heading to a place that Jounan had said would help Angelica feel a bit at ease, but she doubted those words. The thought that at any moment you could be under attack didn't appease Angelica; she preferred to initiate combat, and not be taken to the defensive.

However, Jounan parked near an Anti-Skill facility, and Angelica could see several cars parked out in front of the facility. Jounan began to get out of the car, so Angelica followed suite. She followed Jounan toward the facility, and began to wonder if Jounan had gone back on her word. Jounan must've sensed her thoughts because she responded.

"Don't worry Angelica, this isn't a safe house; rather it is a firing range. I forgot I had to take my marksmanship training today, and I know you mentioned you were familiar with firearms, so I figured you could take some stress off putting some rounds down range when I completed my qualification."

Angelica smiled, looking forward to holding a gun for the first time since her time with the SWA. She followed Jounan into the facility, where she could hear the soft patter of gunshots echoing through the facility. Jounan began to fill out paperwork, and she instructed Angelica to take a seat in the break room.

Angelica sighed and took a seat, watching through one of the windows at the shooters. She watched somewhat appalled by their marksmanship. Many of the shots were indeed going center of mass, but it was scattered from upper torso to just above the hip. In the SWA, all shots were expected to be tight seven to thirteen centimeters and either headshots or dead center of mass.

She was looking at the selection of firearms, mostly SG-553s from what she could tell when she heard the door open and heard her name.

"Angelica, what're you doing here?" Yomikawa asked, and Angelica turned to the blue hair woman. She looked frazzled and tired.

"I'm waiting for Ms. Jounan to complete her marksmanship qualification, and she promised she would allow me on the range for a few," Angelica said. "Have you by any chance…"

"Found the men that tried to kidnap you yesterday?" Yomikawa finished for her. "Nope, we have several Judgment officers trying to find the blonde named Hamazura Shiage, but no luck. But we found out that some time yesterday, several weapons and ammo were stolen from a Anti-Skill armory, so it's another lead that we are following up on."

"What sorts of weapons were taken?" Angelica asked. She figure that the weapons were stolen sometime after she narrowly avoided capture. Yomikawa sighed.

"The kinds you don't want FRF terrorist getting their hands on," Yomikawa said. "Would you happen to know who is after you?" Angelica nodded.

"Benito Masconi, FRF spy and assassin, a part of the Venice cell, responsible for killing several judges and police commissioners," Angelica said. "The others I didn't recognize, but I suspect they are apart of the same cell."

"I see," Yomikawa said, rubbing her forehead. "This isn't good. I must ask, have you told anyone about your past?" Angelica shook her head.

"No, I have been hiding it quite effectively," Angelica said. "I chalk the assassination attempt as pay back for what Marco, or my father, did to some criminals in Italy."

Yomikawa nodded, feeling bad that Angelica had been already target after being in the city for so little time. She also hated that Angelica was forced to lie to everyone, but she knew it was for the better; many wouldn't be able to rationalize the fact that she was a trained killer forced into the position.

"Well, that's for the best," Yomikawa said. At this time, Jounan had returned, looked flushed.

"Hi Yomikawa," Jounan said. "I finished the qualification test, and I passed; twelve out of fifteen shots hit center of mass. Want to join Angelica and I down at the range to see how she does?"

Yomikawa, knowing of the expertise of Angelica, nodded, wanting to see the proficiency of the young cyborg in action.

"Yeah, I got some time to spare," Yomikawa said. The three of them then headed to the pistol range, where Jounan handed Angelica some ear protection and lead her down to the first firing station. Angelica walked up to the position and saw that resting in a case was a Stey M9, with a seventeen round magazine and a box of 9mm parabellum.

"Alright Angelica, I assume your father taught you basic firearms principle?" Jounan confirmed.

"Yes Ms. Jounan," Angelica said, loading the magazine. She knew how to fire a pistol, certainly much better than Jounan if her qualification test was anything to show. Twelve out of fifteen, that wouldn't be accepted at the SWA.

She slammed the target into the magazine, let the action slide, and took the safety off. She saw Jounan put the target down range set at six meters. Jounan gave her the thumbs up to begin firing, and Angelica quickly lined up the sights on the target and began firing.

She pulled the trigger quickly, pausing only to allow the barrel to reset in between shots. She aimed for the center of mass, quickly emptying the magazine into the target in roughly ten seconds. Once the action slid back, she ejected the magazine and began to retract the target.

Jounan and Yomikawa, along with a couple of other Anti-Skill officers, looked at the target shaking their heads. Yomikawa knew better, but it still didn't help that Angelica had managed to so accurately fire that pistol that fast. Upon inspecting the target, she saw Angelica had managed a eight centimeter grouping dead center of the target, without a single miss.

"Dear god," breathed one of the anti-skill officers. "She puts almost the entire force to shame with that marksmanship. Yomikawa, Jounan, who the fuck taught her to shoot like that?"

Jounan was speechless, unable to comprehend what she saw. She struggled to keep eighty percent of her shots on target at thirty feet, and here was Angelica managing to place all seventeen shots in a tight grouping in a much faster time. So Yomikawa spoke up in her place.

"Her father was in the Italian police force, so I am guessing he did," Yomikawa said. The other officers shook their head, quietly packing their handguns in shame. Yomikawa looked at Angelica, who was smiling to herself.

"Enjoyed showing yourself off, did ya?" Yomikawa asked.

"A bit," Angelica admitted. "Ms. Jounan, do we have more time to spend down here?" Jounan snapped back to reality. She fumbled with her wrist watch.

"Um, sorry Angelica, but I need to get back to the Academy to finish some paper work," Jounan said. "Place the pistol in the case and bring it along with the box of ammo; it's my personal pistol." Angelica nodded, and quietly began packing up.

Jounan turned to Yomikawa.

"Would you happen to have any information regarding Angelica's past?" Jounan asked quietly.

"Why are you asking?" Yomikawa asked, keeping an eye on Angelica. "Something bothering you?"

"You could say," Jounan said. "I get the feeling she is hiding something, something that could either impair or improve her esper development training. But she won't open up, and I know when I am getting a fabricated story. So would you happen to have anything?"

Yomikawa debated on telling Jounan about Angelica's cybernetic, but decided against it, knowing that Nagatenjouki, while nothing like KRI, wouldn't be against opening Angelica to get access to the cybernetic upgardes.

"Not really," Yomikawa lied. "Just wait until she opens up to you." Jounan sighed, before she instructed Angelica to follow her. Yomikawa watched the two of them walk away, and could tell that Angelica was patiently following Jounan around. She wondered if the conditioning she was put through was having a residual effect, but decided to put it aside. Besides, there was a blonde needing to be found and guns to trace.

Back with Jounan and Angelica, the two had gotten into the car and were driving away from the pistol range.

"Angelica that was almost scary levels of shooting," Jounan said after a while. "I assume your father taught you that?"

"Yes Ms. Jounan," Angelica said, thinking to the amount of training Marco would have her go through. She felt a bit crest fallen, thinking about Marco in that fashion. But she forced herself to pay attention again to her surroundings.

"So do you find shooting fun?" Jounan asked.

"It's really the only thing that struck me as something I am good at," Angelica said, a bit truthfully. She wasn't talented with instruments the way Henrietta was, she didn't find gardening calming like Claes did, and the only thing she enjoyed other than shooting seemed to be reading.

"I didn't really get along with the other girls growing up," Angelica said. "They seemed more alive than I did, filled with ambitions and dreams, whereas I was focused on pleasing my father."

"Did you love your father?" Jounan asked. "Because you make it sound like he was a harsh man." Angelica misinterpreted this as an insult against Marco.

"That's not true!" Angelica snapped. "He may have been stern, but he didn't hit me, he didn't abuse me, and…"

"Hey, hey!" Jounan said. "I didn't mean it like that! I just never heard you talk about him in a decent light is all."

Angelica pondered this statement, realizing she never did talk about Marco as though he did anything good for her. But he must've spared her from some terrible fate, knowing that the cyborgs were selected amongst those on the verge of death or those in incurable conditions, as was the case with Rico, who was paralyzed since birth.

She turned to the rear view mirror and saw two black vans behind them. She felt something was off, and looked over to Jounan.

"Ms. Jounan, I think we are being followed," Angelica said.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Jounan asked.

"The black vans that are behind us, they aren't directly behind us, but they are looking to box us in." Just as Angelica said this, the vans began to accelerate.

"Ah hell no," Jounan said, and she began to speed up. At the moment, Angelica saw one of the van door's open, with a burly large man with a SG-553 leaning out, taking aim at the car. Angelica reacted, and pulled Jounan's head down.

"Keep down!' Angelica yelled as the burly man opened fire. The bullets ripped through the rear window, which wasn't bulletproof due to weight conservation. Jounan, tried to keep the car stable, but it was hard keeping a car straight when forced to duck to avoid getting shot at.

"Damn it!" Jounan yelled. "Angelica, load my pistol; I'm going to need it!" Angelica opened the pistol case, and began loading the magazine, noting that in all, Jounan only had two magazines and a total of one hundred rounds. She began to consider if it would be enough to get rid of these men.

She slammed the magazine into the pistol, only to hear a tire blow out. Angelica saw that the burly man had managed to shot the rear tires.

"Angelica, I need to pull over early!" Jounan said. "I am going to stop at the steel plant, and we are going to seek refuge in there!"

"Alright," Angelica said as she loaded the second magazine. She began to feel like a trapped animal, with no avenue of escape.

Meanwhile in the black vans, Victor laughed at his shooting.

"Haha, the bitch's tires are blown, just as planned!" Benito smiled.

"She is going to pull over soon, and both the cyborg and her new handler will be dead," Benito said. He tightened his grip on the steering column, looking forward to putting the cyborg six feet under. He was certain that Cristiano would make sure that his time in the wretched city was worth it.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm BACK! Sorry for the 18 day delay, I was working on other storys, and I wasn't feeling all that great to be honest. Well, this is the beginning of the Assassination arc, which will be the first major arc, and as I mentioned will be the arc with Angelica makes a Faustian compact and slip into the city's darkness to stay alive.**

**Sadly, no one has reviewed since the last chapter, so I don't have anyone to respond to. However, I will say the next chapter will come out sooner than 18 days, it just depends on how I am feeling when it comes out. I should have it out by Sunday/Monday though.**

**As always guys, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	6. Chapter 5: Steel Mill Incident

Chapter Five: The Steel Mill Incident

* * *

Angelica was shaking her head, first and foremost due to realizing too late that the steel plant, or more appropriately a steel mill, was in fact a trap. She realized this when her and Jounan, having left the patrol car to take shelter in the mill.

They ran under gun fire into the mill, quickly heading to the deep interior of the production line. They quickly took cover behind a roller that the finalized sheets of steel would roll out on. Jounan was breathing heavily.

"Angelica, how many are there?" Jounan asked, as she made sure the Steyr M9 was ready to fire. Angelica recalled that each van dropped off two men.

"Four Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. "All are equipped with SG-553 assault rifles, so if they have ample ammo they can fire at their discretion, whereas we are limited to one hundred shots."

Jounan sighed; this was bad. Thankfully, she had a cell phone that would get her in contact with Anti-Skill and reinforcements could arrive quickly, either apprehending the men or taking them down, in theory. However, when she tried, she got an 'out of area' message.

"Damn it, they have a jammer in here," Jounan said quietly, looking around to see if she could see the men approaching. "I can't call for back up. Well, any ideas?"

Angelica thought about the mention of a jammer. It would indicate that either Benito and his men had mobile jammers on them, or they had placed a jamming unit in the mill. If the latter was true, then they had been planning on driving her into the mill.

As though to prove it true, a loud crack of a M82 echoed throughout the mil, and Angelica was thankful that a chain hanging just above her head ate the shot.

"We have to move!" Angelica said whilst grabbing Jounan by the arm, pulling her away from their position. Moments later, another shot rang out, this time from another direction. However, Angelica couldn't tell the location of the shot due to the echoing the mill had.

She led Jounan deeper into the plant, where they entered the steel mold center. They crouched behind one of the conveyor belts, making sure that even with the catwalks they would be difficult to find and even harder to shoot at. Angelica then heard chatter above her.

"Lucas, Karl, where did the cyborg and her handler went?!" yelled Benito, his voice echoing throughout the mill. Angelica winced, knowing full well that Jounan heard that. She turned to Jounan, who eyebrows were raised.

"Angelica," Jounan began. "What did they mean by cyborg and handler?" Angelica paled, not knowing how to explain in a sufficient amount of time. She swallowed before answering quietly.

"I'm a cyborg," Angelica said, sighing. "As for the handler bit…" She didn't get time to answer, as Lucas had spotted them, and he hastily fired his M82, accidently putting it onto burst. The rifle kicked horrible, sending all the bullets flying high above their position, and Lucas dropped the rifle. She saw the rifle drop just a couple meters from their position, but it was in the open. She bit her lip and decided to gamble.

She quickly jumped from her position, before Jounan could protest, and ran out to grab the rifle. At this time, Lucas had pulled out his 10mm auto and began to fire at Angelica, missing most of the shots. But one shot did manage to find its mark, and hit Angelica in the foot.

She cried out in pain, but she focused herself, knowing she had to grab the M82 and level the fight out. She managed to pick the heavy rifle up and she ran to take cover under another conveyor belt. She saw Jounan glaring at her, obviously thinking Angelica was being stupid.

"Angelica, forget the rifle and get back here!" Jounan yelled. "Don't try anything stupid!"

Angelica then notice a man on the catwalk that wasn't directly above her. He was aiming a SG-553 at Jounan, so Angelica raised the M82, set it back to semi-auto, and aimed down the scope. She aimed for his upper chest, and pulled the trigger.

The round shot out the barrel in an impressive flash as it flew to Karl, who reacted by quickly falling to the ground, but not before the shot clipped his right shoulder. He screamed in pain, but he reacted by spraying bullets in Angelica's general direction.

Angelica quickly reacted by taking cover behind on of the support legs of the belt, which sheltered her from the fire. She was pinned and she knew it. She could hear the approaching four men on the ground.

"Victor, Sean, you take the right belt, me and Martin will take the left belt!" Benito yelled. "Lucas, quit standing up there thumb up your ass and provide suppressing fire, like Karl is doing!"

Jounan, now trying to piece together Angelica's action, realized that if she and Angelica didn't get moving, they would be killed. She took aim at Benito and Martin, who were closing fast, and fired a couple of shots, sending them to cover. She smiled as she had an idea.

"Angelica, fire at the men coming towards you!" Jounan yelled over the gunfire. "When they are pinned, fall back!"

"Yes Ms. Jounan!" Angelica yelled, and she quickly took aim at Sean. Keeping in mind her limited ammunition, she aimed at Sean's leg, and scored a direct hit, taking out his left kneecap. Sean fell down, and began cursing vehemently, while Victor paused to drag him into cover. Angelica used the time to begin running down the conveyor belt, along with Jounan, who was busy taking pot shots at Benito and Martin.

Benito glared as both Karl and Lucas failed to keep the cyborg and the handler down. He glared at Martin.

"Damn it, at this rate they could successfully evacuate from the mill," Benito said. "Do we have a back up plan to prevent them?"

"Yeah, Victor and I cooked it up," Martin said. "We welded the cargo doors shut, and we have explosives on the small exits. That means they have to go through the command room, through the roof, and down the building, though with Lucas and Karl already on the catwalks, they can't easily go through the command room."

"Good," Benito said. "What about the heavier ordnance?" Martin chuckled as Jounan's bullets pathetically bounced off the steel bin they were hiding behind.

"Victor is dying to test out the gyro-rifle," Martin said. "Mind if he opens fire?"

"Not at all," Benito said. "But make sure he takes the cyborg out first." Martin nodded, and he yelled over to Victor, who had tied off Sean's leg.

"Victor, it's time for the cyborg to reap what she has sowed!" Martin yelled, giving Victor the pass phrase to use the MGR-12. Victor laughed as he holstered the SG-553 and pulled it out.

Unlike conventional firearms, a gyro-rifle uses bullets that are for the lack of a better term micro-rockets. They are stabilized using gyro-stabilization, meaning they rotate in the air. The key advantage of a gyro-rifle is that they are much lighter, produce less recoil, and they can fire bullets that are faster, as well as carry a small amount of explosive compounds.

The MGR-12 uses a 12.7x300mm gyrorocket, meaning that it was comparable to a M82, yet it was a third the weight but was more powerful. Victor lifted the rifle to his shoulder, leaning out from cover, and fired a six round burst at the cyborg. The micro rockets flew at Angelica, who barely jumped to the side to take cover from the resulting blast they produce.

Shrapnel littered the air, and a couple of pieces lodged into Angelica's left arm, causing her to feel considerable amount of pain and making her arm go numb. She hobbled behind a crate of ball bearings and she winced. She rested the M82 on her shoulder as she debated what to do. She looked around and saw nothing to give her an advantage, other than ball bearings, a couple of plastic pipes used to insulate wirings, and a few steel caps.

She was about to count herself out when she thought about the things she saw as material. Thinking back to her time in the SWA, she remembered how the FRF would often make pipe bombs using PBC pipes and nails, using semtex as the explosive material. She wondered if she could make a pipe bomb, using her ability to make a suitable explosive material.

She discounted both black and smokeless powder, both were deflagration material, not having the required forces needed to both propel the ball bearings and break the plastic tubes. She than thought about the common explosive that made possible many things; Trinitrotoluene, or more commonly known as TNT.

She began the process of understanding the chemical structure of the TNT, which was complex in comparison to even thermite. Seven carbons, five hydrogen, three nitrogen, and six oxygen, she thought, and she began to feel it form in her hand. She looked at the mass of TNT that was in her hand, and noted that while it was only around five hundred grams, it would be sufficient for her needs.

She grabbed a pipe and the steel caps, and quickly poured some ball bearings into the pipe, before adding the TNT and capping the other end. She prayed that this would work before yelling over to Jounan.

"Jounan, get down!" Angelica yelled. Jounan, however unaware of what Angelica was planning, nodded before taking cover from Benito's and Martin's bullets. Angelica peaked from the crate, gauging the distance to throw. Victor was about six meters, so she quickly and efficiently throw the pipe bomb.

Victor watched the pip being thrown at him, and for a split second wondered how the hell the cyborg managed to get any form of explosive before he quickly grabbed Sean and hauled him around a heavy iron pool before Angelica set off the pipe bomb. The pipe bomb exploded, sending the ball bearings and plastic fragments all over the narrow conveyor system, with many of the ball bearings ricocheting around the room.

Benito and Martin were forced to seek cover from the fragments, and Lucas and Karl were glad that next to none of the fragments went skyward, with the pipe bomb noting being designed with area of effect in mind. Victor meanwhile was glaring, wondering who was careless to leave explosives lying around.

"Who the fuck forgot to pack up the demolition charges?" Victor yelled out, as he began to fire at the crate where Angelica is taking cover at with the MGR-12. "If she makes any more god damn bombs, I will decapitate the fucker!"

"No one left any bombs out!" Benito yelled. "Perhaps she had some packed on her!" Benito opened fired on Jounan, who tried to return fire, but kept missing him.

"Bullshit, where would the cyborg get the explosive mediums in this city?!" Victor countered, before blowing apart the crate, forcing Angelica to relocate. He continues to fire the micro-rockets, gradually getting his eye in for the rounds.

"Shit, how about the same source we got these guns?!" Benito yelled. "But it doesn't matter now; Karl, Lucas, fire down on the cyborg and her handler now!"

Angelica looked up to see that both Karl and Lucas had gotten into a firing position and began to fire a proverbial hail of bullets. Angelica had to sprint over to Jounan, who was keeping Benito and Martin down.

"Angelica, what the hell was that earlier?" Jounan asked as she loaded another clip.

"I managed to make some TNT and made a simple and weak pipe bomb," Angelica said, raising the M82 and taking shots at Karl and Lucas, who were forced to take cover along the catwalks behind a couple of crates.

"What?" Jounan said, a bit surprised that Angelica was able to create a complex explosive medium. _Perhaps she has level up, _she thought. _This would have to be pretty impressive, but how to confirm this? What the fuck am I thinking; we need to get the hell out of here! _

She looked toward the end of the mill, and blanched, seeing the welds on the cargo doors. She scanned over to the small exit door, and saw enough charges to blow apart anyone within six meters of it. She sighed.

"Angelica, how many shots do you have left?" Jounan asked.

"About five rounds, if the sniper using this fully loaded the magazine," Angelica said. "And I am nowhere near anything to make any pipe bombs. What about you?"

"Heh, I am down to two mags left, with enough to reload one," Jounan said. "I was hoping to keep these men off of us so we can escape, but I can't see that happening now."

"Think we can make it to the roof?" Angelica asked. Jounan shook her head as bullets began to impact the cover around them.

"No, we are quite screwed at the moment," Jounan said. To get to the roof, we would need to get past the men on the cat walk, while not getting shot by that massive bear of a man with that damnable gyro-rifle."

Angelica was about to count her luck as over when she saw to her terror the massive cargo doors be ripped apart, the welds shattering into splinters.

"Get down!" Jounan yelled, pulling angelica down as the door flew over their heads. Angelica was shocked at how far the door blew; very little short of a large bomb could produce such a result. And apperantly so was Benito and his men.

"What the fuck ripped the door apart?!" yelled Victor.

"Shut up Victor and kill the cyborg and their handler now!" Benito raged, while staring at the gaping hole, and saw a figure standing in the setting sun. "Who the fuck do you think you are, a big god damn hero?!"

Angelica looked at the figure, and while she couldn't get a decent look at him, she could tell he was a male, but more importantly he wasn't here to do good. She got the vibe that he was here because he was bored and looking to do a lot of damage. What solidified her gut feeling was when the figure began to smile.

"Oi, you think you are some hotshot with those guns eh?" the figure asked. "Well now, let's see how fast it is before I am tearing your arms apart!" the figure began laughing manically, and he began his charge.

* * *

Accelerator was walking from the store to his dorm that Nagatenjouki gave him for enrolling. It wasn't he attended classes though; he didn't attend any classes since becoming the rank one Level 5. All the subjects were meaningless to him, as his calculating abilities were unparalleled and he could probably get several master's degree in the field of physics.

He had a black shirt with a white stripe going from his left shoulder to its hem, and he wore a pair of blue jeans. His white hair and pale skin made him look unnatural, and his red eyes terrified almost anyone who stared into them.

Accelerator was walking patiently, thinking about what sort of mess he would get into before getting to his dorm. He sighed; the city was filled with idiots that seemed to like nothing more than try their luck against him. It always ended with them on the ground, bleeding profusely from the loss of either a leg or arm, regretting ever challenging him.

To be honest, Accelerator detested fighting; it was unfair when he could easily kill anyone without so much as breaking a sweat, and to him it was trivial, what was the point in fighting if you could never be hurt and never improve due to no one being able to get around your ability?

His ability was formally known as vector transformation, or the ability to control anything with a vector. Heat, kinetic energy, light, gravity, it didn't matter, he could manipulate and control it to such a degree that it render almost every attack against him useless. He always thought that if it came down to it, no one could beat him, not even if they used a nuke, as he could reflect the air blast, the heat wave, and even the radiation away from his body.

He crossed the street, and everyone generally back away from him, trying to avoid him due to his appearance. He was contemplating muting his surroundings when he heard several loud cracks echoing through the street.

"Huh?" he said, looking up. He noticed that several people on the street began walking away from the cracks, muttering how it might've been a shootout between rival Skill-out gangs vying for control. But Accelerator began to listen closely, and noticed several distinct weapon signatures. He recognized most were SG-553s, the standard rifle of Anti-skill, but he heard the powerful blast of a M82 and a signature from an unknown weapon.

He smiled, walking to the source of the noise. Perhaps he could find something entertaining at the source of the noise. He quickened his pace, not wanting to arrive too late to miss out. He followed the noise as best as he could, tracing it to a steel mill.

"What the…" Accelerator said, before he could hear inside the Steel Mill, albeit very faintly as the gunfire and the walls prevented the voices from being heard. He muted the gunfire, hoping to hear the voices better. But at that time, her heard a massive explosion and the ricochet of ball bearings.

One of these ball bearins managed to punch a hole through the cargo door and came flying right at his face, but his reflection swatted the ball bearing to the ground. He glared at the ball bearing, wondering how one of these wretched things came out of a steel mill. He decided he would listen into the chatter.

"Bullshit, where would the cyborg get the explosive mediums in this city?!" yelled a man with a thick Russian accent.

"Shit, how about the same source we got these guns?!" another voice, an Italian this time, yelled. "But it doesn't matter now; Karl, Lucas, fire down on the cyborg and her handler now!"

Accelerator's interest peaked at this; cyborgs and a handler? He thought about the various activities this city was into, and oddly enough while it had some research teams investing in cybernetic enhancements, they weren't much in comparison to the outside world.

Accelerator began to walk to the cargo doors, contemplating entering, when he heard some new voices.

"Angelica, what the hell was that earlier?" said a voice Accelerator recognized from the few times he entered the Academy; it was Jounan, the PDS of the academy. He wondered what she was doing when he heard another voice, a younger female with an Italian accent.

"I managed to make some TNT and made a simple and weak pipe bomb," said who he presumed to be Angelica. Accelerator chuckled; there was an esper able to make explosive compunds? He wondered how he would fare in a fight wither. He would bet on himself of course, but he made several side bets as to how long she would last. He decided he had listened enough and decided to invite himself to the fun.

He walked up to the cargo doors and kicked them, transferring the kinetic energy fromhis kick and the potential energy in the door to break it down, sending it deep into the mill. He chuckled, seeing the young girl, who had black hair and pale skin being brought down to take cover by Jounan. Accelerator looked and saw she was bleeding, but also that she was holding a M82.

'_So is that little girl a cyborg?', _Accelerator wondered. He then looked and saw six men with automatic weapons aimed at him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, a big god damn hero?!" yelled an Italian, the same one who was arguing with the Russian. Accelerator glared at him.

"Oi, you think you are some hotshot with those guns eh?" Accelerator asked, his voice getting higher in excitement. "Well now, let's see how fast it is before I am tearing your arms apart!"

He began to laugh and he kicked the ground behind him, propelling himself to the Italian. At that instant, all of the men began to fire at him, and the bullets were flying towards him. He quickly redirected the bullets to the Russian, who had refrained from firing for some reason.

He watched as the Russian, quickly realizing something was wrong, dived into cover, avoiding the hail of bullets.

"Quit shooting him!" the Russian yelled. "He is fucking with your bullets!" Accelerator chuckled.

"Smart man!" he yelled. "Most think it's some kind of fucking shield that they can whittle away, but you fucking can't!" Accelerator was now a few meters away from Benito, who quickly sidestepped him, and avoided Accelerator's punch.

"Damn bastard!" Accelerator yelled, and he stopped. He glanced at the conveyor belt, and noted that it was made of a bunch of steel rollers. He got a sick idea, something he hadn't tried before. "Oi, wonder what happens if I hit this conveyor belt?!"

He slammed his fist into the belt, and soon he focused the potential energy into sending all the rollers flying towards the men, each roller flying out one after another. Accelerator laughed as the men either dived or scrambled for cover.

"What, no brilliant plan for taking me down?!" Accelerator complained. The Italian glared at him.

"Victor, shot the ground around him!" Benito yelled. Accelerator turned to Victor, who raised a large rifle at him and fired thirty shots. Acclerator watched the micro-rockets impact the ground, and sending shrapnel at him. Accelerator laughed, casually reflecting the debris away from him.

"Oh, how original!" Accelerator said. "You thought that if you didn't shoot me directly you could get me with secondary effects! Oh, this is too good!" Accelerator kicked the belt again, this time sending the steel I-beams flying to Victor, who raised his rifle to block the beam.

However, the beam collided and destroyed the MGR-12 into a billion pieces and threw the Russian into the wall, nearly knocking him out. Accelerator then looked up to the catwalk, where Karl and Lucas were firing at him. He chuckled as he sent an steel beam into one of the supporting beams and destroyed the catwalk.

Karl was lucky and fell onto an empty part of the mill's floor. Lucas on the other hand wasn't anywhere near as lucky and he ended up getting hanged by a chain that instantly snapped his neck. Accelerator began to laugh, looking at how the men failed to do anything to make his time interesting.

"Ah, so let's see, there will be four more of you fuckers to kill," Accelerator said. "So how would you like to die, being bludgeon to death, death by collision, death by falling, or would you like a personal request?"

In his moment, Accelerator forgot where he was standing and he felt a gun put up just a mere inch from his skull. Sean, who had managed to get himself up to put a gun to his head, smiled.

"Think you can dodge this shot, you fucking freak?!" Sean yelled. Accelerator was about to turn around and rip Sean's head from his body when he heard a massive boom and saw the blood of Sean spurt out around him, and he felt his reflection kick in. He heard Jounan however yelled, confirming his suspcions about Angelica.

"Angelica, what the hell are you doing?!" Jounan yelled, and Accelerator was able to tell she was trying not to puke. The answer from Angelica was enlightening to say the least.

"I was made to kill FRF scum such as him, and I noticed the person was able to weather a hail of bullets without fear, so what difference would my fifty call make," Angelica said, and she turned to fire again, only for the Italians to fire on her.

"You damn SWA cyborg!" Benito yelled. "I will personally put you into a shallow fucking grave!" Benito fired a last burst, putting a group of three bullets into Angelica's shoulder, causing her to drop the M82 and fall to the ground.

"Oi," Accelerator said. "Aren't you forgetting about me bitch?!" He was about to charge when the Italians dropped smoke and began to hoof it out of the mill, much to accelerator's annoyance. He was about to give chase when Jounan yelled out.

"Accelerator, get over her and help me carry Angelica out!" Jounan ordered. Accelerator turned to Jounan and sighed.

"Tsk, why bother?" Accelerator asked. Jounan glared at him.

"Because A, I need her to stay alive to figure out what the fuck she meant by she was made to kill FRF scum, and B because she is fucking heavier than I thought, and I took some shrapnel from your little stunt with the conveyor belt!"

Accelerator walked over and lifted Angelica up by the shoulder, and saw she was struggling to keep awake. He glared at the young girl as her blood began to stain his clothes. He fucking hated blood, it was damn near impossible to get out if it got in your clothes, which wasn't really a concern for him considering he could reflect the blood most of the time, but right now he could do it, due to be too damn pissed about being unable to go after the rude as hell Italian.

"Where did you find this brat?" Accelerator asked Jounan as he carried Angelica out of the mill. Jounan sighed.

"I found her during an entrance exam and PCP entry about a week ago," Jounan said. "I urged Mr. Daichi to accept her into Nagatenjouki Academy, and currently I suspect she is already a level two."

Accelerator knew that most people began at Level 0 and hardly ever progressed. A few managed to get to Level 3 from Level 0, and only a couple of people managed to get from Level 1 to level 5. So for an beginner to progress from Level 1 to 2 in a matter of a week was impressive.

"So you think she has the potential to become a Level 5?" Accelerator said, smirking. "And here she is, getting shot at by the FRF." He paused, realizing he didn't recognized the acronym. "What the fuck is the FRF, and better yet, what is the SWA?"

"If her background is true, than the FRF would be the Italian Five Republic's Faction, "Jounan said. "They are a terrorist group that seeks to split Italy in two. As for SWA, I don't know, but I intend to find out."

"Hey," muttered Angelica weakly. "Where's the modded M82?" Jounan shook her head.

"Angelica, that rifle isn't important," Jounan scolded. "After you recover, you better be willingly to explain what the hell is going on." Accelerator however felt Angelica shaking, as though she was trying to chuckle.

"I must go after Benito Mosconi and kill him," Angelica said. "Otherwise he won't stop trying to come after me." Jounan shook her head.

"Let Anti-Skill handle them, they are too much for you, you fucking got shot in the shoulder, you have shrapnel in the arm, and you took one in the foot!" Jounan protested. At this, Angelica turned to face Jounan and even Accelerator could feel the resentment emanating from the young girl.

"Those pieces of human filth are too much for me?" Angelica hissed. "I fucking killed them by the dozens without mercy before I ended up in this city!" She was about to continue, but she began to cough up blood, and began to choke on it.

"Shit," Jounan said, ignoring Angelica's statement at the moment. "Accelerator, place her in that car, and keep her on her side, I don't want her choking."

"Tsk, what a fucking pain," Accelerator mutter, and he laid Angelica in the back seat of the car, and laid her on her good shoulder, at least having the decency to not rub the fact she got shot in. He got in the car to keep an eye on Angelica, while Jounan got in the driver's seat and began heading to a certain hospital.

Accelerator mused on the girl's words, and smiled. She thought she was more than an equal to those men eh, then why did he have to get involved. Better yet, how many did she kill? She made it sound like killing was second nature to her, which even to Accelerator wasn't natural. Sure he would often kill people, but they usually tried to pick a fight with him.

He sighed, and rested in the car, growing annoyed realizing that he left his fucking coffee back at the mill. Perhaps he would have Jounan pay him back for services rendered.

* * *

Hamazura was facing the cruel mistress that is fate. Just a day after getting the Italians their wretched fucking guns from the Anti-Skill armory, he was wanted in connection to the kidnapping attempt on that little girl, and he was currently running through the back streets of district 19, trying to run away from both a Judgment officer and an Anti-skill officer. He cursed his luck.

"Fucking just give it up!" he yelled at the officers. "I don't know the girl those ass hats were after!" He turned the corner and nearly tripped over a random crate filled with bottles. He recovered quickly, but it cost him some distance, and both officers were gaining.

"We have questions regarding those men, and currently you are the only bastard we can identify!" Yomikawa yelled. "If you don't stop I will fucking throw your ass in a cell for obstruction of justice!"

Hamazura chuckled at Yomikawa's response, and he saw a fence. _Hehe, if I can jump this simple fence, I can shake these officers and be home free in friendly territory! _

Increasing his pace, he jumped the fence and grabbed the top of the fence. Feeling flush with victory, he was about to get both of his legs over when he heard a rustle from behind and felt a gabage can lid whack in the head. He fell down on the side he was on previously, looking at the officers upside down.

_God damn my fucking luck, _he thought. _How hard is it to have something go my fucking way? I knew it was too much to ask for. _

"Ah good, glad you saw reason," Yomikawa said as she and Konori stood over him. "So, you going to answer my questions now?"

Hamazura sighed and knew he had his ass handed to him. He silently pledged to stop getting his ass handed to him by women while also putting aside the thought that the officers were well endowed.

"Fine, I can't tell you everything, but I can give you some info," Hamazura said. "For I don't know everything."

"That's fine," Yomikawa said. "First thing first, who are the men trying to kidnap the girl who threw your ass about at the diner?" Hamazura face palmed, if the guys heard how he got his ass handed to him, he would never be able to live it down.

"The only guy I know goes by Mr. Mosconi, he is an Italian, mid to late twenties, goatee and messy black hair. Other than that, I don't know the others."

"Alright, what were you doing with him?" Konori injected into the conversation. She was writing down notes.

"I'm a 'procurement specialist'," Hamzura said, using his fingers to do air quotations. "I was told to get some items for him and his job." He shook his head, he figured that if he said he managed to get them guns, the officers would lynch him on the spot.

He saw Yomikawa walk off, pulling out a phone. He couldn't make out the conversation, but he suspected she was confirming his story. He resituated himself and leaned on the fence. Konori looked at the blonde and shook her head, which made him scroll his memory of people who hung out with Skill-Out. If he was right, and he was certain he was, than this Judgment officer hung out with the Big Spider Cell of Skill-Out.

"What the fuck is an Outter doing with Judgment?" Hamazura asked. Konori glared at him.

"What gibberish are you talking about?" Konori asked. Hamazura looked at her, grinning at her quick response; he managed to find something to wiggle his way out of.

"I remember you," Hamazura continued, trying to get under the girl's skin. "You were wearing a red biker jacket, hanging out with Kurozuma and those of Big Spider. That was, what, six months ago, give or take. So I ask again, what is an Outter doing with Judgment?"

He saw Konori freeze like a deer in a headlight. She appeared unable to counter him. He glanced over to Yomikawa, who he could tell was growing more and more pissed. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of that woman.

"Listen," Hamazura began. "I don't care if an esper was hanging out with Skill-Out or not, but I know Judgment and Anti-Skill does. So how about you let me go and give me a head start in return to me being silent?"

He could see Konori debating it in her head, and prayed that she would give him an answer soon. _Please fate, stop being a cruel bitch and give me a reprieve, _he thought_, I promise, I won't help crazy bat shit scary Italians anymore. _

He saw Konori was about to open her mouth to respond, but that was before Yomikawa threw her phone into the wall and stormed to Hamazura. Her face was red with anger, and Hamazura knew about the arms deal. _Damn it fate, why must I suffer? _

"You sack of SHIT!" Yomikawa roared at Hamazura, grabbing him by the collar. "You gave those bastards enough firepower to take on us so they can kill that little girl?!" Hamazura began to squirm, fearing the absolute worse.

"And what's more, that girl that we thought they were going to kidnap is now in the hospital again!" Yomikawa yelled. Upon seeing Hamazura's face pale, she nodded.

"Yeah, your fucking pals already managed to use their new found toys and attempt to kill that girl. Thankfully, she was with a member of Anti-Skill and a passing esper managed to put a temporary stop to their plans."

Hamazura needed to find a way out, something to give this Spartan woman a reason not to rip him apart.

"They managed to get some gun in the city, that's how they managed to get past the anti-skill guards at the armory," Hamazura spluttered. "I couldn't do jack shit to stop them when I saw they had that, and I couldn't stop them from shoving me in the van!"

He felt Yomikawa lowering him.

"You mean to tell me you didn't agree with them?" Yomikawa said. He nodded weakly.

"My boss set me up to get them what they wanted. When I learned what they were like, I would've preferred not to have dealt with them, but then Mr. Mosconi pulled out an SMG and I knew I couldn't do jack fucking shit!"

Yomikawa looked at Hamazura, and knew he was telling the truth. She let him go, sighing. She looked at konori.

"You think you can deal with this idiot?" Yomikawa asked. "I need to get to the hospital, as I am willingly to bet that Jounan will want a word with me." Konori nodded.

"I will file a report and deal with him," Konori said. She leaned over to Yomikawa. "Um, what happened?"

"From what I was told, Angelica got jumped by six men, two of which are dead in the defunct steel mill. She is in bad condition, and will require surgery," Yomikawa said. "Fucking can't believe that we are already dealing with a group of assassins."

"I know," konori said. "Just get there safely, alright?" Yomikawa nodded and left, leaving Konori to cuff Hamazura to a pipe.

"What the hell?" Hamazura said. "What about our deal?" Konori sighes.

"I didn't agree to anything," she said. "Enjoy the evening Mr. Shiage." She then 'drops' the key at his feet and walks away. Hamazura chuckles and promises to himself that makes them even. He quickly manages to get the key to his hand, undoing the cuffs and quickly running off with the key, unaware that Konori made sure to use a key that had a GPS locator in it.

* * *

Heaven Canceller left Angelica's room, having finished the surgery. He had to repair the servos that served as her shoulder, replace some blood, patch her skin using a newer model of synthetic skin the city had managed to make from samples she had given, and finally repaired her foot. He sighed, the girl was already attracting attention.

He walked into the lobby where he saw Jounan and Yomikawa sitting on a couch. Jounan looked worse for wear, but had managed not to get shot surprisingly. Yomikawa looked a bit pissed off.

"Angelica will be alright," Heaven Canceller said. "I would recommend keeping her from any heavy lifting, that is if…"

"She knows now," Yomikawa said, informing Heaven Canceller of Jounan's new obtained information.

"I see," Heaven Canceller said. "Well then, I would only then suggest pain meds for her, her body is relatively easy to repair, much easier than many of the patients that I know." He glanced at a room that was set aside for a certain kid with spiky black hair who kept getting in trouble for trying to do the right thing.

Jounan shook her head, still feeling sick to know that Angelica was not only a cyborg but also a child soldier.

"Did she accept the treatment willingly?" Jounan asked the Heaven Canceller. He shook his head, knowing what she meant.

"No, there was extensive mental manipulation using chemical and physical conditioning," he said. "I doubt who ever Angelica was before had a say in the treatment and life the Social Welfare Agency gave her."

"So why is she here in the city?" Jounan said. "Surely they would've kept her in Italy, right?"

"That's something we don't know," Yomikawa said. "I found her trying to commit suicide in the railway next to her handler's body, where there were others dead." Jounan leaned back, taking it all in,

"So that is why she has the impressive physical results, the extensive knowledge of weapons, and can out shoot almost everyone in Anti-Skill?" Jounan asked.

"Yes," Heaven Canceller said. "Which brings me to an issue that I think should be done sooner than later."

"What issue?" Yomikawa asked. Heaven Canceller sighed.

"Her proficiency in combat in unrivaled, but if people keep coming after her, be it the FRF or the SWA, she needs to be prepared for it," Heaven Canceller said. "Which is why I am going to suggest she gets into Anti-Skill." Both Jounan and Yomikawa looked at him if he was mad.

"Are you kidding me?" Jounan breathed. "You want to give her a gun and make her a child soldier again?" Heaven Canceller shook his head.

"No, in fact I rather she remained a student living a normal life. But she doesn't have a normal life; she has people actively coming after her, and if she is caught again unarmed and without anyone with her, the odds of her surviving are nil, with her esper level as low as it is."

"Being in Anti-Skill would mean she could have some body-protection and at least something to defend herself. Plus it might do her some good, give her something to focus on other than hunting down terrorist and the like."

Jounan sighed; she doubted it would do too well. Sure, she wouldn't be focused on terrorist, but rather criminals and god knows what she would do to them once she caught up with them. She looked over at Yomikawa, who was sharing similar thoughts.

"I don't think it's as great an idea as you think," Jounan said. "Yomikawa and I will think about it. In the meantime, you mind keeping us up to date about her condition?"

"Of course," Heaven Canceller said. "If anything changes, I will inform you." He left to walk to his office, sitting in his chair, almost expecting the phone to go off when it did.

"Hello Aleister," he said. "How might I be of assistance."

"I assume you have stabilized Angelica?" Aleister asked.

"Of course," Heaven Canceller answered. "Thankfully, the medical lab is able to synthesize the skin much easier, yet progress with updating her cybernetics is still a work in progress."

"I know that," Aleister said. "However, I am more intrigued with the people after her. The Five Republics Faction, here in the city? I could only think of one reason they are here."

Heaven Canceller nodded; only the SWA would know that a cyborg was missing in action. So why they would chose to send the FRF after her was a mystery. Heaven Canceller had his reasons, but he remained mute on the subject.

"I assume you already have a plan to deal with this threat?" Heaven Canceller asked.

"One in the works, one that keeps Angelica in the dark so to speak," Aleister promised, but Heaven Canceller knew better. If anything he was probably going to do something that could further endanger Angelica if it means a positive result for his goals.

"Well, so long as she doesn't end up in the morgue," Heaven Canceller said grimly. "Then I will trust your judgment for now. I assume there is nothing else to discuss at the moment?"

"Actually, there is," Aleister said. "Given your quick readings, what is Angelica's esper level?" heaven Canceller sighed, and pulled out a chart. He scanned over it quickly before answering.

"She is a Level 2," he said. "Quite fast for an esper to say the least." He heard Aleister chuckle.

"Of course," Aleister remarked. "Then it would appear so far the calculations are correct after all, in fact they might be early. Well, good day to you my gentle friend." And with that, Heaven Canceller went back to his work, wondering what the magician had in mind.

Over in the windowless building, Aleister brought up the Anti-Skill report on the incident at the steel mill. He read the report and grew annoyed with how a couple of outside bodies were easily able to infiltrate the city and manage to steal weapons from the city's only form of defense. He would have to make changes that fell in line with his plan.

He decided the first thing to happen was to increase the city's defense budget and to improve the defenses around the city and around key facilities to prevent outsiders from needlessly interfering. He contacted the board of directors head chairman, who was his puppet and thus willingly to obey Aleister's will all to easily.

The next thing he had to do was prevent the media from getting word of the incident. He quickly cut all chatter to news stations with regards to any anti-skill operation, and he gave a quick speech to the head of Anti-Skill to silence any critics. He sighed as he focused on the last issue.

He knew that the FRF terrorist would have to be dealt with. According to the report, two were already dead, however that left four including the leader Benito Mosconi. He considered his options, quickly whittling the list down quickly to two.

The first had Angelica simply deal with the terrorist on her accord, but with two Anti-Skill officers taking a keen interest in her safety, he doubted she could do it without some avenue of escape. He looked over the file for Angelica, and noted that Anti-skill noted she was an expert sharpshooter from her quick time at the facility. He chuckled as he confirmed the best option to take.

He quickly made a connection to a person he often had act as a middle man in affairs that weren't to be traced but yet needed to be crediable enough to get those who were naturally suspicious of others to act.

"Hello, I have a mission that needs handling," Aleister said. The man on the line sighed.

"And which group am I going to pursue to get off their asses to accept the mission?" the man asked, Aleister enjoyed the man; he didn't have a name anymore, nor did he want one, he was quite content to act as a middle man as it allowed him to live a comfortable life with no questions asked.

"Oh, here are the details…"

* * *

"FRENDA!" Mugino yelled across the pool, glaring at the young French girl who splashed water and got her yet. "how many times must I tell you not to splash the water, I am trying to get a tan!"

"But the pool feels so good!" whined Frenda. The blonde French woman in red swimwear swims away from where Mugino was sitting trying to get a tan. Mugino sighed, and quickly used a towel to dry herself off.

Mugino was very beautiful, she had a light tea color hair that went past her shoulders, and her features were soft and well formed, especially for someone that was only thirteen and a half months old. She was wearing a moderate two piece, and she had her legs stretch out before her.

Mugino watched as her 'friends' swam, or in Rikou's case, floated. Frenda happily splashed around, her blonde hair floating behind her. Saiai was busy swimming in place, having a conversation with Rikou. They were enjoying a moment of downtime, having completed recently a bothersome job.

They were assigned to take out a man and his escorts that was trying to smuggle a new computer system that would've enabled those skilled in computer hacking to get into government archieves. To say they completed the job was an understatement; not only did they kill the man and his escorts without so much as a scratch, but they also managed to recover the prototype for their employer and they got a hefty bonus.

So here Mugino was, trying to get a tan despite already looking gorgeous, trying to relax as the city's fourth rank Level 5 when he phone went off. Taking her eyes off Frenda, she flipped open her phone after seeing the caller ID was their employer.

"This is Mugino, what is it now?" she said, placing the tanning screen on the table next to her chair. The employer sighed, sounding very irate at the moment.

"Ah, your attitude never changes, now does it?" her employer said as calmly as he could.

"It doesn't matter what my attitude is, so long as ITEM gets the job down," Mugino snapped. Her employer sighed once more.

"True, true," he said. "But onto business; have you seen the reports about an attempted kidnapping late afternoon yesterday?"

Mugino grabbed a glass of an orange shake and began to take a sip, thinking. As she recalled, the attempt was rather poorly planned, and she hadn't paid much attention to it due to her still being concerned with trying to track down the computer prototype.

"Can't say I know the details, but yeah I saw it," Mugino said. "What of it?"

"Turns out those kidnappers weren't some random hired guns; they are member of the Five Republics Faction, and the girl they attempted to kidnap, well, they actually want to kill her," her employer said. "As a result, the board of directors, wanting to keep the news of terrorist being on the loose trying to kill a student quiet, have requested your expertise in handling the situation."

Mugino smirked; it was a while since ITEM, having been brought together about eight months ago, had a mission that was actually high risk. She knew a little about the FRF, and knew that if they wanted someone dead, they don't hesitate to get civilians involved, usually as body bag fillers.

"Alright, what is the terms?" Mugino asked. Her employer chuckled.

"Two million yens to be divided fours ways amongst each of your members, five hundred thousand yen per terrorist you kill. Don't kill a terrorist or someone else gets them, you lose that share," her employer said. "Is that sufficient to get you interested?"

"Yes it is," Mugino said. "But I want a full briefing with the entire team so we don't go wandering around aimlessly and unprepared."

"Of course," her employer said. "Be at the van in fifteen minutes." The line went dead, leaving Mugino to gather the others.

"Everyone, we got a job," mugino called out. "Get dried and change, we meet in the van in fifteen." She saw Frenda sigh.

"But we just completed a job this morning," whined Frenda. "The pay had better be worth it."

"It is," Mugino said. "Five hundred thousand yen per target we bag, and there are four targets." She left the pool side, going to the locker room. She quickly changed into her purple dress and put on her tall white shoes, and grabbed her purse. She walked out of the locked and headed into the black van that served as the briefing room and as transportation for ITEM.

She opened the back door and sat down, left to muse to herself for a little bit until the others got there. She thought about why she was doing these missions. It certainly wasn't for the money, she was well supported even before coming to Academy City. It wasn't for recognition all these missions were off the record.

It also wasn't personal. She never experience hardship, never had to deal with loss, never felt eternal sadness or remorse, and she didn't feel the urge to protect anyone. She could only feel one thing during these mission, and that was the flush of coming out on top.

She felt an ecstasy whenever she came out unscathed during a mission that was high risk. The higher the risk and the bigger the reward, the more entertaining it was. It was like a game to her; to win not only in the sense of coming out alive, but also in achieving the highest score to achieve everything that there was to do perfectly.

She quit musing as Saiai, Frenda, and Rikou entered the van, with Frenda and Saiai arguing.

"Bah, screw your esper abilities, I can take on anyone with my bombs and hand to hand combat skills," Frenda said, pointing her finger at Saiai.

"No you super can't," Saiai argued. "For instance, you couldn't kill me or the Accelerator with your bombs, you couldn't kill anyone close to you, and you super can't take out a tank with your bombs," Saiai countered. Frenda grew flustered.

"But you assume I would walk up to the people and give them a fair chance," Frenda said. "I wouldn't, I would've laid out enough traps and have thought of their movements and been able to take them out before they became an issue."

"Enough," Mugino said. "You can talk about the specifics of your petty argument later. For now, we have a mission to get to." She only had to wait a little before the TV turned on, with the standard 'sound only' message popping up.

"Evening ITEM," the employer said. "The mission is simple; taking out four FRF terrorist that have managed to infiltrate the city."

"What are the FRF doing here?" Frenda asked. Mugino smirked; of course Frenda, being from France and living near the Italian border, would know a thing or two about the FRF, especially considering it was on of their bomb makers that taught her the art of using explosives.

"The FRF terrorists are here to assassinate this girl," the employer said, and a picture of black hair girl wearing a Nagatenjouki uniform showed up. "Name's Costa Angelica, age ten, currently listed as a Level 1 esper, though her medical scans from her visit this afternoon suggest she is now a Level 2."

Mugino examined the photo of Angelica, and soon she grabbed a file on the esper and the targets from the slot. She saw that Angelica had a blank history, the only bit of data that was known before her time in Academy City was that she was from Italy and had left for reasons unknown. Mugino then flipped to the terrorists in questions.

"The targets meanwhile are led by Benito Mosconi, a five year veteran of the FRF. Next we have Martin, another FRF veteran, this time of three years. Then we have the guns for hire, Karl a former GSG-9 soldier, and Victor who was a member of the VDV. All are well trained and responsible for the deaths of easily a hundred people combined. "

"Were did you get this information?" Mugino asked. Her employer sighed.

"The information was collected after the terrorist attempted and failed to kill Ms. Costa, resulting in the death of two of their men," their employer said. "After identifying the leader, they check those that entered the city and discovered the others. Currently, there whereabouts are unknown, however, I think you guys know how to find the targets."

Mugino chuckled, looking forward to the hunt. Usually they were ambushing their targets, knowing where they would be and taking them out before they could react. But hunting was much different; you had to track, learn their pattern, and take them out when they were least expecting it.

But she knew that the assassains would most likely either be licking their wounds or are preparing to take Angelica out as soon as possible. She smiled as she came with a simple plan.

"Where exactly is Ms. Costa hospitalized?" Mugino asked. Their employer chuckled.

"Currently she is in a privately funded clinic in district 7," their employer replied. "However, due to the Board wanting discretion, you may not take on the terrorist in the hospital."

"Not even Saiai?" Mugino asked, knowing that Saiai could both blend in and take out the targets quietly.

"Hmm, use your discretion," their employer said, before the line went dead. Mugino turned to Saiai.

"Saiai, I want you to head to the hospital and keep an eye out for any of the targets," Mugino began. "Take them out before they make a move. And while you are at it, get me information regarding Ms. Costa."

"Why do you super want info on this low level esper?" Saiai asked, tilting her head slightly. Mugino brush aside her hair.

"Mainly because I want to know more about her; why the board saw fit to essienstally protect this esper," Mugino said. "Also, her ability is unlisted in this file, and I want to know what it is."

Saiai nodded, and the others looked at Mugino, and noted that Mugino was trying to figure out the most likely place for a bunch of terrorist to be. She looked at their past service records, and noted that only two were specially trained, and so it was Karl and Victor who would prove the biggest threats. She sighed.

"Frenda, I want you to prep your bombs and have them at the ready," mugino said. "We will locate the terrorist safe-house; I want it wiped off the face of the map if it doesn't conflict with our orders. Rikou, stay with me and see if you can get into contact with some people and found out where the terrorist are likely hiding."

Both Frenda and Rikou nodded, and soon the van started moving, preparing to drop Saiai off at the hospital. Mugino leaned on the wall of the van, listening to the soft patter of rain as the night gave way to the storm. She sighed, hoping this mission would be worth it.

* * *

**Author's Notes: The first major fight occurred, and the FRF got its ass handed to it, to speak politely. Sadly, Angelica is in the hospital, and Aleister is setting her up, but things are heating up.**

**We see both Accelerator and Mugino in the same chapter, and Hamazura begins his long (and often horrible) relationship with Yomikawa. We also see the low level applications of Angelica's ability in practice, how is that for quick thinking?**

**Now onto reviews;**

**-Triser: Yeah, Jounan found out about Angelica's past under less than Ideal circumstances. And the terrorist didn't know Angelica had become an esper, but it will change their tactics. As for what the SWA would want for Angelica, yes, they would ideally want her, but Academy City has a reputation of taking those with esper abilities (read: Gemstones) and getting them into the control of the city. The SWA probably knows this and figures the best thing to do is to prevent Academy City from getting ahold of a cyborg and fully understanding all the technology that goes behind one.**

**Also, a thing to note is that so far, besides Gemstone espers, no one had managed to replicate the creation of espers like Academy City had. But there is an institution in Italy that can rival espers, and SWA will be making contact with them, not too soon, but soon enough to let you guys guess who I am referring to.**

**And as always guys, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	7. Chapter 6: Moment of Peace

Chapter Six: A moment of peace.

* * *

Benito was fuming at the table, annoyed that his first attempt at the cyborg failed miserable. Not only did she and her handler survive, but they lost Lucas and Sean in the progress. Not only that, but now they were probably being hunted right now by the city, and Viktor was largely still incoherent.

He looked over at Karl and Martin, the only men who were in any position to do anything to rectify the situation.

"The situation is fucked up," Benito said. "Not only did we fail to kill the cyborg, but we lost two good men in the attempt."

"How were we supposed to know that there was somebody able to fuck with our bullets?" Martin said, trying to defend the result. "We couldn't have predicted that, and if he hadn't showed up, both the cyborg and her handler would be dead."

"I know that," Benito said, resting his forehead in his palm. "But how the fuck do we explain it to our boss? He isn't going to take it lightly, and he already said if we fail he is giving it to 'him'."

Karl and Martin looked at each other, both unnerved. If Cristiano got desperate enough to send 'him' out to Japan just to kill this cyborg, then he must truly want to leave no surprises for future operations. Also 'he' was a bit unnerving to think about; anti-social with an almost surgical levels of being able to kill someone with a knife, he made most serial killers look like thugs.

"Well, whatever you do, don't lie to his face," Karl cautioned Benito. "He will know if you are lying. I suggest giving him the 'we almost got it done, but intervention prevented us from finishing the job' explanation."

Benito sighed; he knew Cristiano would chew his ass when he gave his report, regardless of the amount of how badly they had underestimated the capabilities of the city. But he had to refocus on the task at hand, to regain the respect for completing missions. He sighed, sitting in a chair looking at the map of the city.

"Alright, let's get back to the subject of killing the cyborg," Benito said. "What can we reasonable do at this very moment?"

The three men looked at one another, crossing off many ideas. They could do any long range assassinations attempts, not with Lucas hanging in the steel mill. They couldn't do another brute force attempt; the failure at the steel mill ensured that. They also couldn't risk encountering any espers like that albino devil.

That severely limited their options. And given the fact that in all likelihood the bloody cyborg was also an esper, they couldn't just try any normal tactics to take her out. While it may have been possible for them to kill her in public, it would threaten to bring foreign intervention against the FRF, something that Cristiano would surely wring Benito's neck over. At this point however, Karl came up with an idea.

"Benito, in all likelihood, what would happen to someone that has a hit put out on them?" Karl asked. Benito sighed.

"They probably either go into hiding or be taken to a safehouse, why?"

"Well, the cyborg has managed to put herself into a pickle; she can't go into hiding due to her going to a highly prestige school, but the school can't risk the lives of other students' lives housing a person that is a potential target," Karl pointed out. "So in theory, if we attack her at the school, no, her dorm, then we can force her into our hands; somehow."

Benito rubbed his chin, mulling over the details. It could work, however how best to exploit this? He began to form a crude plan, one where the details could wildly vary. This wasn't a bad thing, as most plans tend to shatter if something goes awry. He looked over at Karl.

"Karl, how easily would it be to smuggle something into the dorms?" Benito asked. Karl shrugged.

"How big of a package are we talking?" Karl asked. Benito chuckled.

"Would saying a blockbuster be too much?" Benito humored the German infiltration expert. The German recognized the term from when during World War Two the British would send bombers loaded with massive two thousand kilogram bombs which would level a city block, hence the nickname 'blockbuster'.

"How the hell do we expect me to get one past the security and into the dorms?" Karl asked. "I would need a truck, and one with a strong suspension mind you. Also we would need to make the school security not pay attention to four 'terrorist', and we would need to custom make the bomb."

"Are you saying it is impossible?" Benito asked. Karl laughed.

"Not impossible, but pretty damn hard," Karl said. "I will figure out the infiltration, I will leave the bomb making and the vehicle acquisition up to you and the others."

Benito nodded before looking over to Martin.

"Martin, any idea on when Victor will get up?" he asked. Martin poked the Russian who was on the couch, who merely swatted at the hands.

"Looks like he is responding to stimuli, but now is sleeping," Martin said. "Probably will be up in a couple of hours."

Benito sighed and looked out the window, watching the sun set as he though how best to put the cyborg to eternal rest.

* * *

Saiai got out of the black van, waving good bye to the rest of ITEM. She sighed as she walk to the door of the hospital, for it reminded her of her past as a child error and the hell that was the Dark May project.

A few years back, a group of scientist got together and tried to determine how best to mass produce Level 5 espers. After supposedly a series of failed project, the next idea was Dark May. The core idea was to give espers the thought pattern of the number one of the city, Accelerator. It however wasn't without it flaws.

First off, almost every esper, Saiai herself included, suffered under the grueling mental conditioning. Many of the child errors ended up committing suicide under the inability to cope with the merging of minds. Others like Saiai became more aggressive and their day to day lives reflected this. For Saiai, it meant forming her 'super' verbal tic and her ability shifted from controlling nitrogen freely to making it into a near impenetrable armor.

But as for the core result of the Dark May project, it was largely regarded a complete failure. With only a handful of Level 4 made, and most of the other test subjects either died or were in a state of mental disarray, the higher ups called a scrap of the project.

She walked into the hospital lobby, and frowned as she saw a couple of people waiting around, probably either trying to find the room to their loved ones or waiting to be called back to begin their visit. Saiai didn't understand how people could be calm in a hospital; this was after all where even the best of intentions becomes the Devil's works.

She sighed and was about to find a way to the hospital records when she was bumped into by someone from behind. Not feeling a need to have her ability active, Saiai was thrown on the ground, and she had someone on top of her. She gritted her teeth.

"Could you super get off of me?" Saiai asked harshly. She felt the person get up quickly.

"I'm sorry, I was just in a hurry to see a friend of mine!" Kuroko said, bowing quickly to show her respect. Saiai sighed; another idiot coming to see a injured friend, as though one should be glad to be in a hospital.

"That's fine," muttered Saiai as she dusted herself off. "So who's this friend you are going to see?"

"Her name is Costa Angelica," Kuroko said, and while Saiai tried to keep her face calm, Kuroko saw her surprise. "What, you know Angelica?"

"Not exactly," Saiai said. "But I super-"

"Would you like to meet her?" Kuroko asked. Saiai mentally told herself it was a stupid idea, but the best way to keep said girl safe would be near her and not having to keep moving around to avoid the attention of the hospital staff.

"Sure," Saiai said. She walked beside Kuroko, and after the two got Angelica's room number and were in the elevator, Saiai looked over at Kuroko.

"So how well do you know Angelica?" Saiai asked calmly. She didn't always use the 'super' verbal tic, only when she was angry or frustrated.

"I met her just before she underwent the PCP," Kuroko began. "So about two weeks, give or take." Saiai nodded, wondering how in under a week person could go from not being an esper to being a Level 2. It was relatively unheard off, though not impossible.

"So what is she like?" Saiai asked. Kuroko shrugged.

"I don't know much, other than she is a foreigner, she is relatively reserve, she has a fascination with firearms that is kind of disturbing, and she doesn't like talking about her past."

"I super wonder why," Saiai said sarcastically, though it didn't have the effect she intended on Kuroko.

"Maybe it has to do with her father," Kuroko suggested. Saiai sighed; sometimes people had issues that weren't related to their family. Sometimes they underwent shitty ass experiments that ruined their lives. But Saiai was snapped out of it when she saw Kuroko waving to a blue hair woman in a blue Anti-Skill vest.

"Hi Yomikawa," Kuroko said. "I am here to visit Angelica, is she ok?" Saiai saw Yomikawa nod.

"Yeah, she has been patched up, though who might you be?" Yomikawa asked, pointing at Saiai.

"I'm Kinuhata Saiai, random tag along," she said, shaking hands with Yomikawa. Yomikawa chuckled.

"Well, at least you guys can keep her company, I got to have a chat with the doctor," Yomikawa said, getting off the wall and walking away. Saiai eased up, knowing that at least Yomikawa wouldn't be eavesdropping on her. She followed Kuroko into the room, and saw Angelica sitting in the hospital bed, reading a firearms catalog.

"Seriously Angelica, must you read such barbarism?" Kuroko quietly scolded. Angelica shrugged.

"Firearms aren't barbaric, people are," Angelica countered quietly, before turning to look at Saiai. "Who might you be?"

"Kinuhata Saiai, your friend Kuroko invited me up," Saiai said introducing herself. Angelica nodded.

"Well, I'm Costa Angelica, and as you probably can tell, I am from Italy," Angelica said. "So Kuroko, why you decide to drop on by?"

Kuroko looked flustered for a moment, before she straightened herself out.

"You're in the hospital!" Kuroko began. "I want to make sure you were okay, that's what friends do!" Saiai saw Angelica appeared indifferent to this statement, and Saiai mentally began to wonder why the young girl wasn't fazed by the fact she was in the hospital.

"Kuroko, I have been in hospitals more times than I wish," Angelica stated calmly. "But it is nice to see you here, I hate being cooped up in this bed."

Kuroko blushed lightly, and Saiai began to think that perhaps Kuroko saw Angelica as something more than friends. But she dismissed the thought; Kuroko didn't know Angelica that long, and besides, how likely was it that Kuroko was a lesbian?

Saiai was interrupted in her thoughts by Angelica.

"So Saiai, what were you doing here before Kuroko invited you?" Angelica asked. Saiai shrugged, trying to pass off the question.

"I super came to get my medical records; my schools wants them for one reason or another," Saiai said. Angelica nodded, but Saiai could tell that the answer didn't sufficiently satisfy Angelica's curiosity. Thankful for Saiai, Kuroko came back into the conversation.

"So Angelica, mind telling me what happened at the diner?" Kuroko asked. "Why did you leave, who were those men?" Saiai saw Angelica sigh, placing her catalog on the table next to her bed.

"Well, those men were… suspects that my father attempted to arrest in his time in the police force," Angelica began slowly, and Saiai could tell she was covering the truth. "They were a gang that was based out of Venice that sometimes came to Rome for 'businesses'. They came after me due to them finding out about my father was after them and they must've thought they could've used me as leverage."

"But why would they be in Academy City; surely Anti-Skill would've picked them up and also what could be here that would interest them?" Kuroko asked. Saiai decided to apply pressure to Angelica using Kuroko's question.

"Yeah, they are gang members, not super terrorist," Saiai said. "So what reason could they have going after you?" Saiai felt Angelica staring down her eyes, trying to gauge her motives. Saiai knew that she shouldn't have brought up the terrorist fact.

"Well, maybe they were here for some advance merchandise, something that would allow them to continue their operations without police interference," Angelica suggested falsely. "This city is indeed thirty years ahead of the rest of the world in technology, and thus even a low end computer system would provide a massive boost to their operations."

"But still, that would be quite expensive for them, and it doesn't explain how they got past Anti-Skill," Kuroko rebuffed. "But never mind that, why are you in the hospital?"

Saiai looked at Angelica's shoulder, and could tell that whatever happened had caused bleeding due to the large bandage that was covering her shoulder. Angelica chuckled.

"I accidently used my ability when there was a loose screw on the table I was testing it on," Angelica said, and Saiai could tell she was lying by the rather shaky voice she used instead of her calm demeanor. But Kuroko must not have picked up on it, for she shook her head.

"Baka, what exactly were you doing with your ability?" Kuroko scolded. "You know your ability is dangerous under the best of circumstance, and you are a low level esper…"

"What exactly is your super ability?" Saiai interrupted. She needed to get information about Angelica for Mugino, and if she didn't have to raid the hospital's medical files, then it would keep her off the radar. Angelica sighed.

"Well, I am now a Level 2 Bomb Maker," Angelica began. "I can create explosive material, hence the name. I was testing my ability out, and I created a small amount of TNT, only to cause enough pressure to send the screw into my shoulder."

Saiai put aside her ability at the moment as she looked closer at the wound. If she was telling the truth, then the wound would be to her front and going either straight on or up, but this looked like the wound was from above and went out the back of the shoulder. Saiai could only conclude that Angelica was lying about the injury.

She sighed, and began to doubt she would get any information regarding Angelica when she saw a medical notepad on the counter near Angelica's bed. She wanted to grab it, but how? If she went and picked it up, both Kuroko and Angelica would see her picking it up. She needed for Angelica to be distracted, just long enough for her to grab it.

She paused as another idea came to her head. If she could take a photo of the notepad, she could have a copy of it, show it to Mugino, and both Angelica and Kuroko would be the wiser. She mentally smiled as she began to walk over to the counter and leaned on it, tucking her left hand under her right arm, phone in hand.

"So Angelica, where do you super go to?" Saiai asked, trying to keep Angelica and Kuroko distracted.

"Nagatenjouki Academy," Angelica said. "Though I have to take 7th grade lessons despite only being ten. But the classes aren't hard for me."

"I don't get that," Kuroko muttered. "How can they not be hard for you, where did you go to before?" Saiai saw Angelica's right eye twitch, as though the question was something she tried to avoid. Angelica yawned, trying to hide her discomfort.

"Well, it was a private institute that house children of other police officers," Angelica lied, but Saiai could tell that it wasn't a full blown lie, just rather a manipulation of the truth. "I learned various languages, mathematics, social skills, and history, though we had extracurricular activities that most of us did."

"Oh, such as what?" Saiai asked, covering the noise of her pushing the capture button on her phone. Angelica shrugged.

"Nothing too unusual, some did music lessons, other did martial arts." Angelica began a quiet conversation with Kuroko, and Saiai kept an eye on Angelica. She noted the young girl was generally indifferent to the topics Kuroko brought up, as though she never had to deal with the subjects and thus had no opinion of them. Another interesting detail was Angelica wasn't growing tired, which Saiai and Kuroko were.

Saiai was about to wonder how much longer she had to stay when thankfully for her, Mugino called.

"I'm sorry," Saiai said. "I got to take this. It was nice meeting you two." Saiai left Angelica's room and headed to the hallway.

"Saiai, where have you been?" Mugino asked in an annoyed tone. "I hope you are having better luck than Rikou, Frenda, and I."

"I have," Saiai said. "I have had a chat with the target, and I don't think she is a simple innocent girl; she appears to have been shot and she is clearly lying about it."

"Oh is she?" Mugino asked, her voice clearly oozing in anticipation. "So what is the target's ability?"

"It's Bomb Maker; the ability to create explosive material," Saiai explained. "She is a Level 2, as she explained to me, confirming the medical reports our employer sent us. Also, she is doing her best to keep anyone from knowing what her past was, though I did manage to get a picture of her medical notepad."

"Send me the picture," Mugino ordered. Saiai sighed, and quickly sent the picture to Mugino and waited for Mugino to reply. She hadn't a chance to see the notepad herself, so she was interested in hearing what was on it. It took a minute before Mugino asked Saiai a simple question.

"Saiai, have you read this report?" Mugino asked, her voice trying to contain the apperant glee at the report.

"No, what does it super say?" Saiai asked. Mugino began to laugh.

"Oh, it's too good to say over the phone!" squealed Mugino. "Get out of the hospital and meet us back in at the diner we usually go to." The line hung up, leaving Saiai to wonder what the hell made Mugino so giddy. She left the hospital, unaware of Angelica watching her depart from her room and making a mental note to follow Saiai when she got the opportunity.

* * *

Accelerator was sitting across Mr. Daichi and Ms. Jounan, annoyed he was called into the office to talk about the evening's events. He hadn't killed anyone who would be missed, he hadn't destroyed the steel mill (completely at least), and the cyborg was alive. In fact, he lost out because he left his fucking coffee at the mill by accident.

"Oi, what could you idiots want with me?" Accelerator asked rudely, knowing that while Mr. Daichi was technically in command of him, Accelerator didn't answer to anyone.

"It's about information that Ms. Jounan had come upon regarding Ms. Costa," Mr. Daichi began. "She is, as you and Ms. Jounan know, a cyborg, one trained to take out terrorist."

Mr. Daichi paused, taking a drink of coffee, leaving Accelerator to think about what they would want him to do. It had better not be guarding the damn cyborg, he couldn't stand the idea of being a fucking babysitter. He however was pleased by the simplicity in Mr. Daichi's next statement.

"Due to her, how shall I put this, unique assets and past, you aren't to tell anyone about her being a cyborg, being a child solider, or that the FRF are after her," Mr. Daichi ordered. "If you do, I will make your life hellish."

Accelerator began to laugh, glaring at Mr. Daichi.

"How the fuck do you think you could accomplish that?!" Accelerator demanded. "I can literally splatter you and Ms. Jounan right here and now, and the Board of Directors would make a special case for me! So I am curious, how the fuck do you think you can make my life hellish?"

Mr. Daichi chuckled, while Jounan looked a bit nervous, trying to see what the two men in the room were thinking.

"Hm, you are correct with those assumptions," Mr. Daichi said. "However, the fact remains; I am the one who pays your bloody checks that allows you to afford you god damn expensive coffee addiction."

Accelerator felt his smugness dissipate with the mention of his love of coffee. It was the one thing he didn't have any form of regret or hatred of coffee, and it was somewhat relaxing to savor various coffee blends from various regions. But as Mr. Daichi pointed out, it was very expensive, at least for him.

"Ah, fine, anything else sir?" Accelerator asked, and sighed when Mr. Daichi nodded.

"Yes, one other thing. As you know FRF terrorist will be coming after Ms. Costa. Thus, I want you to attend the Academy regularly to make sure that if they do come here to kill her that you can stop them early in their attempt."

Accelerator glared at Mr. Daichi at this demand. It would mean sitting through boring lessons and having to deal with ass hats who thought they were powerful enough to challenge him. Also, any classes would be out of his league; he was a prodigy due to his understanding of his ability. That said, he saw some opportunities, namely not having to deal with Skill-Out pricks and not having to constantly get stared down by passerby on the streets.

"Fine, one condition," Accelerator said, his voice low. "You don't dare shove me in classes with pretentious ass hats that would probably result in me throwing their asses around the courtyard."

Mr. Daichi smiled and nodded.

"Very well, A dorm has been made available to you, and you will receive your classes tomorrow," Mr. Daichi said. "Now, Ms. Jounan, please escort Accelerator to his dorm."

Jounan sighed, and motioned Accelerator to follow her out of the office. She looked over to Accelerator, who was glaring at the students who were staring at him.

"Accelerator, could you please not antagonize your class mates?" Jounan asked.

"Whatever," Accelerator said, waving off the request. Jounan sighed.

"But about this evening, seriously, no one needs to know what Angelica did," Jounan urged. "I don't need the entire student body panicking about her, as she already managed to take down a Level 3 telepathic without using her ability, and that caused much of the student body to grow weary of her."

Accelerator chuckled, the thought of the cyborg beating a Level 3. He wondered how embarrassing it was for the telepath to get his ass handed to him by a ten year old girl. Granted, she had cybernetic upgrades to make her more dangerous in close range combat, so it was rather unfair for the telepath.

"Fine, I will keep quiet about her," Accelerator said as they entered the elevator. "So where is she now?"

"She is in the hospital, though she will be released tomorrow," Jounan said. She looked at her watch and saw it was nearing midnight. "Well, if you have any questions before I drop you off at your dorm, ask them now as I intend to get some rest."

Accelerator thought for a moment before he grinned.

"So, you think she will be a Level 5?" Accelerator asked. "Because I want to know, will you pit me against her to see if she can knock me out of my seat of power?" Jounan paled, as Accelerator began to do mental calculations to determine who would win the fight.

If it came down strictly to her ability, then he figured he could whether anything she threw at him, as fragmentation bombs did jack shit against his vector transformation, and napalm bombs uses fires, which he knew that he could simply redirect the heat away from himself. Thus he felt nothing to fear from the cyborg.

But if it came to a fist fight, then he knew he could end her by throwing her into the air like a rag doll, and he doubt she could ever figure a way to get around his redirection. If several hundred thugs couldn't find a way, why would she be any different.

He also began to calculate the nature of Angelica's ability, so that if it came down to a fight between him and her, he would have the upper hand. He knew she could make TNT, a common blasting agent used in industrial operations. But that was her level 2 ability, what was her Level 1. If he could figure out the progression from 1 to 2, he could then make logic guesses as to what her ultimate ability would be.

"Accelerator, there isn't a chance in hell I would let the two of you spar off, especially when she gets to Level 5," Jounan said. "I don't need to explain how half the city got destroyed." Accelerator could tell she was joking, but by the same token also knew that she seriously thought a fight between the two of them would be very destructive.

"Fine, fine, I won't go picking a fight with the Bomb Maker," Accelerator said. "But if you want me to help out with her development, the answer is no. I don't need another esper trying to prove their worth by failing miserably to kick my ass."

Jounan sighed. She was glad Accelerator didn't give her an opportunity to waste time asking for his assistance with Angelica's esper development. But still, he would've been invaluable due to his large calculation ability. She lead him across the courtyard and up to his 'dorm'. Upon realizing where Mr. Daichi had set Accelerator up, Jounan cursed under her breath.

"What is it?" Accelerator asked, slightly annoyed, the fatigue was getting to him finally. Jounan opened the dorm and noted the blacked out windows, hanging her head low.

"There is going to be a roommate in this dorm," Jounan said. Accelerator tightens his right hand, glaring at her.

"Who the fuck is my roommate going to be bitch?!" Accelerator demanded. "I have never had to deal with anyone else before!"

Jounan calmly pointed to a catalog on the couch that was in the living room. Accelerator, wondering how that was at all relevant to the conversation, picked it up and began to flip through it. It was a Styer's arms catalog, detailing the latested from Steyr Arms. Accelerator sighed, knowing that this was the dorm to Angelica.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Accelerator muttered. "I am going to be sharing a dorm with her? I thought it went without saying that I don't babysit fucking brats."

"I know," Jounan said through gritted teeth. "However, Mr. Daichi gave me the key and room number, and I was stupid enough to not check if anyone else resided in the room. However, he probably planned this, and his word is final, so deal with it."

Jounan turned and left, leaving Accelerator to explore the dorm. He recognized it was a 2LDK, and as such he would have ample room of his own. He walked into one of the rooms, and found Angelica's bedroom. He noted the uniform and almost pristine cleanliness. He was about to turn around when he saw the tack-board and a familiar face on it.

He approached and glared at picture, instantly recognizing the man as Kihara Amata, the man who made Accelerator who he was. He wanted to punch the picture, to remove its existence from his sight, but he began to look more at the tack-board. He saw several notes that Angelica had made, as though she was on a mission.

He saw other pictures and notes, and he could tell she was trying to remember a memory. He saw a picture of a man with glasses, blonde hair, and a stubby bit of hair on his chin, labeled 'Marco'. He followed it to a piece of paper inquiring why she was alive and Marco was dead. Accelerator figured that whoever Marco was that it was most likely the handler the FRF ass hats had mentioned.

He chuckled, leaving the room as he had a few ideas on the subject. If Amata was involved, then he probably was responsible for Marco's death. But then the question arose in his head; why the hell were two Italian counter terrorist doing in Academy city? He sighed, unable to come up with anything other than ideas.

He walked across the hall and into the second room, which had now a small bed and a desk. He yawned as he laid over the blankets, not bothering to change his clothes or take his shoes off. He rolled over and closed his eyes, wondering how terrible his time at the Academy dorms would be.

* * *

Angelica awoke in her hospital bed, her thoughts on that Saiai girl from yesterday. She knew she was up to something, however what she was up to or who she worked for was unclear at best. All she knew was that Saiai knew more about Angelica then she let on when they first met, and to make matters worse she was able to hear Saiai take a picture of her medical file that was carelessly left out in the open.

She sighed, figuring that if Saiai was with the FRF that Saiai would've probably killed her and Kuroko instead of just taking a picture of the medical file. This left the possibilities of what Saiai up to in the air. She could be acquiring black mail material on Angelica, she could be doing corporate espionage, or she could be getting intelligence for an unknown party.

Angelica shook her head, and saw a change of clothes lying on top of the chair Kuroko had been sitting on. She made a mental note not to inform Kuroko in the future she was in the hospital, as it took a nurse and Yomikawa to remove Kuroko from the room so Angelica could get some sleep. While Kuroko was tired, she refused to sleep and continued to talk with Angelica, which prevented the young cyborg from getting some sleep so her body can heal.

She quickly changed out her hospital gown and put on her uniform, and was putting her shoes on when Jounan came in to her room.

"Ms. Costa, are you alright?" Jounan asked. Angelica nodded.

"Yes Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. "So…" Jounan interrupted her from trying to make an excuse up.

"Angelica, I found out from Yomikawa and Heaven Canceller about your past service with the SWA," Jounan said. "As a result, I was force to inform Mr. Daichi, and naturally due to his 'help' Accelerator knows of what you are."

Angelica refrained from swearing; just how many people would end up knowing what she was? She nod quietly, allowing Jounan to continue.

"As a result of the FRF coming after you, you will be refrained from making any trips away from the academy, due to the nature of the ambush those men engaged you with. Also, Mr. Daichi insisted you have a roommate to keep an eye on you, figuring that either he can stop you from doing something incredibly stupid, such as leaving to go after the men or help you if the FRF is stupid enough to attack the academy head on."

The tone Jounan was using made angelica suspect that her roommate was the albino that carried her out of the steel mill. She could tell that he wouldn't give a shit about her, as he seemed to take pleasure in killing the terrorist. Sure, she would kill terrorist any time anywhere, but for her it was a job, a necessary evil to keeping the peace. She sighed.

"I suppose this roommate is Accelerator?" Angelica asked. Upon seeing Jounan nod, she continued. "Alright, so I assume he is taking one of the rooms for his room, and that he is going to escort me everywhere?"

"Thankfully not all you said is true," Jounan said, and she began to lead Angelica out of the hospital. "He will be sharing your dorm and has taken the room across from yours, but he won't be attending your classes and won't be escorting you around."

Angelica nodded, trying to formulate a way to get a firearm into the academy. She quite liked that modded M82, but sadly it would be too large and noticeable for her to keep it. She thought about loop holes around the lack of available firepower, thinking about if she could make a zip-gun. She thought about what she would need to make one.

The first issue would be crafting the barrel and the bullets. It was fine and dandy to have a large bullet, but without the correct barrel to guide the bullet, it would either caused the bullet to bounce around as it traveled down the barrel or causing an explosion. The next issue would be how to achieve a suitable rate of fire for the zip gun. She didn't want to deal with a single shot weapon, but fabricating a magazine would be difficult for her. She then thought about the revolver design, and figured that would be ideal. The final issue was how to acquire the material to make the zip-revolver.

She was forced from her thoughts as Jounan parked in front of the dorm. Angelica got out of the car, and followed Jounan to her dorm, and saw several students were looking at her arm. She looked down and noted that the job down by Heaven Canceller wasn't as proficient as Dr. Bianchi. She walked up the stairs and down the hallway to her door.

Jounan opened the dorm, and Angelica didn't notice anything out of place at first. She walked to her room, and checked that nothing was out of place. She snarled at the fact that, probably Jounan, took down the clothes she used to black out the windows and had reset the lights. She then looked over at the tack-board, and quickly decided to move it into her closest to prevent just anyone seeing it.

She then left for the kitchen, seeing as it was nine in the morning and she was hungry. But as she walked out of her room, she saw Jounan was arguing with Accelerator.

"Accelerator, get the fuck up!" Jounan said. "I don't give a shit about how rude you can be, you will at least be civil enough to greet Ms. Costa!"

"Oi woman, shut up!" Accelerator growled. "Can't you see I was sleeping?!" Angelica felt her blood boil a little when Accelerator insulted Jounan, causing her to shake herself. It was like the conditioning process again, this time voluntary.

"The keyword being 'was'!" Jounan said, spiting the albino. "Now get up and greet Ms. Costa."

"Argh, fine, though I am heading back to bed afterwards," Accelerator noted. He came to the door and looked down at Angelica. "Oi, I'm Accelerator. Well, I did my bit, going back to bed."

Jounan glared daggers at Accelerator, and followed the albino into the room.

"Get out here, that was pathetic!" Jounan yelled. Angelica sighed, and walked into the kitchen. She had made sure she had stocked her pantry with the necessary ingridents for cooking her favorites from Italy. She decided to make biscotti, a twice baked cookie that was a good breakfast meal while also being a sweet desert. She grabbed the necessary ingredients and began putting it together, shaking her head at the growing argument between Accelerator and Jounan.

By the time she had put the biscotti into the oven and Angelica began to contemplate how to get the materials for her zip-revolver, Jounan came into the kitchen, shaking her head.

"Damn ungrateful bastard," Jounan muttered. She looked at Angelica and waved her hand apologetically. "Sorry, but the rank 1 of the city is a serious jerk-off almost all the time. So, I will be leaving now, take care Angelica, and I will see you Monday for the private development sessions."

"Of course Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. She watched as Jounan left, and Angelica began to grab a piece of paper and a pen to begin designing the revolver.

She wanted it to have six shots, pack ample firepower, and be easy to aim and fire. She began by designing the bullet, choosing a simple design. While she would've preferred to have been able to make a more sophiscated bullet, she had to keep it within the constraints of being easy to make. Thus she adopted a ball-shaped design, with a large cartridge for a rifle-sized revolver.

Next, she determined the size of the entire cartridge. The bullet itself would be 9x50mm, with the cartridge being 9x120mm, large enough to allow the gunpowder she would create with her ability to burn off and create a clean propellant. She didn't want anything larger, as it could've caused serious damage to the frame for the revolver.

She began to process of designing the stock and barrel, wanting a long barrel for being able to take on targets at a distance when the timer for the biscotti went off. Quietly folding the paper and putting it in her pocket, she removed the biscotti from the oven and put them on the cooling tray, while she went to boil some water for a cup of tea. She couldn't make tea as well as Claes, but she was sufficient to make it to her liking.

She waited paitently for the water to boil, and then again for the tea to steep, reading her Steyr Arms catalog, quite annoyed she could get ahold of a AUG to give her protection for the FRF terrorist. Sure, having a zip-revolver was better than nothing at all, but it would eventually break down if she didn't make the revolver correctly.

She grabbed some biscotti and began to enjoy her breakfast she was interrupted by Accelerator.

"What the fuck is that?" Accelerator asked, glaring at her. Angelica sighed.

"It's biscotti, what else would it be?" Angelica answered and asked rudely. Accelerator then pointed at the tea.

"No, what is _that_?" Accelerator demanded. Angelica looked at the tea, wondering what the issue is.

"It's a green tea mixture I found in a tea vendor in the city," Angelica said. "It is quite sweet, and doesn't require as much sugar as say chai spice black tea to make sweet." Accelerator sat across from her, resting his chin on his right hand.

"So what? Doesn't beat a good Columbian, city roast Arabica beans coffee," Accelerator said. "Too bad that getting ahold of Arabica beans from Columbia is a bitch."

Angelica rolled her eyes. She knew Marco and the other handlers liked coffee, but unless it was mocha or a latte, she found coffee to be extremely bitter. She tried drinking black coffee without any cream or sugar, and had spent half an hour cleaning her mouth of the bitterness of the coffee. She couldn't see any reason for men to like pure black coffee other than the macho factor of drinking such a bitter drink.

"Eh, tea isn't as bitter as black coffee, and I don't need cream to sweeten it to my liking," Angelica argued, dipping her biscotti into the tea before chewing on it. Accelerator glared at her.

"The purpose of coffee is to be savored and to reinvigorate ones self, not to be a sugar loaded drink," Accelerator said, his voice giving off anger towards Angelica's view.

"Well, be that as it may, I can't stand black coffee without enough cream and sugar that any flavors that any subtle flavors it might've had is drowned out," Angelica pointed out. "Thus, I will stick to tea, as I am not shelling out a couple thousand yen to get a fricking espresso machine."

Accelerator sighed, and he headed to the fridge, before slamming it shut, as there wasn't anything quick to cook up in there. He sat back down at the table, making sure to head out later and grab some canned coffee and some (a proverbial shit ton in reality) of junk food so he could eat quickly.

He looked at the cyborg, who was engrossed in her catalog and not paying attention to him. It was a relative first, almost everyone he knew stared at him, tried to pick a fight and lost, or were so terrified of him that they gave him a wide berth. Yet here this cyborg was, minding her own business and not acting like he was even here. He thought about how he saw the picture of Kihara Amata, and thought to bring it up.

"So brat, how do you know Kihara Amata?" Accelerator demanded. Angelica looked over her catalog, a look of confusion on her face visible.

"Who?" Angelica asked. "Would he have any relations to Kihara Gensei?"

Accelerator felt smacked by a train, how could she not know Amata yet know of Gensei? He met Gensei after meeting the bastard that was Amata, when Amata decided to show off his progress with developing Accelerator's abilities. He sighed.

"The bastard with the tattoo you drew on your tack-board, that is Kihara Amata," Accelerator clairified. "Now, how do you know of him?" Angelica shrugged.

"I am not sure, though when I see his face in my mind, I want to do nothing more than tear out his eyes for whatever reason. I suspect he might have something to do with my handler's death."

Accelerator chuckled; almost everyone that met Amata either wanted the blonde bastard dead or were so terrified of him that they obeyed him blindly.

"So, mind telling me what you did to piss off the FRF?" Accelerator asked.

"I was a generation 1 cyborg, the first that managed to get over the rejection syndrome," Angelica began. "I sadly being a generation 1 cyborg and the first nonetheless, suffered under the conditioning process that was used to make us loyal to our handlers. I suffered from frequent memory loss, and the only reason I know this now is that the doctors in the hospital managed to undo the conditioning."

"But as to what I did to make the FRF come after me, well, the SWA has several teams, and we frequently take out HVTs and compromise their operations. They must've learned of me being in Academy City, and sent a team to kill me."

"Oh, so you were a counter terrorist soldier?" Accelerator asked. "Then why did you see yourself as better than them?" Angelica smirked.

"Because most within the FRF were mad bombers that took pleasure in killing anyone, and they often kidnapped innocent people and hold families hostage, trying to tear Italy apart for their own selfish reasons," Angelica reasoned. "Besides, I was made to despise them, and to be honest, I probably would hate them anyway."

Accelerator sighed; he had been answered, though Angelica did seem to bother him with her colder sense of what was right or wrong. She didn't shy away from what she did, rather she saw herself as doing the right thing, regardless of the method she employed. He was planning on heading out when Angelica stopped him.

"Are you heading out?" Angelica asked. Accelerator glared at her.

"What is it to you brat?" Accelerator asked. "I got to pick some shit up, namely food and coffee."

"I can't leave the academy grounds," Angelica said quietly. "And I need a few things, and I was hoping you could get them for me."

Accelerator was tempted to sorely tell her to fuck off and leave him alone, but he doubt it was simple food and shit. He looked at her, gauging her to see what her requests was.

"And what, pray tell, might you need?" Accelerator asked. Angelica sighed, before compiling a list and handing it to him. He scanned over the list; a bit of brass, some high quality steel, a bit of maple wood, and finally some bolts and screws. He raised his eyebrow and looked at the cyborg.

"What the fuck could you possibly need with this shit?" Accelerator asked. Angelica finishedher tea, and decided to tell Accelerator of her plan.

"You know the FRF is after me, and I don't intend to be unarmed the next time we meet, so I need to make a zip gun to keep on hand for my personal protection," Angelica said. "That there is a list of things I need to make the zip-gun and the bullets to go with it."

Accelerator looked at the list again, and chuckled. He knew where to get this stuff, and in all likelihood he doubted the cyborg would be able to make a decent zip-gun, so he nodded.

"I will see what I can find," Accelerator said, tucking the list in his pocket, and he headed out, wondering how the hell Jounan would react to finding out Angelica had built a gun in the school; it would be worth getting some popcorn and seeing the sparks fly.

* * *

Frenda walked into the diner, annoyed that she spent Saturday evening tinkering with her bomb dolls and making sure her anti-tank missiles were prepped, and Sunday morning was spent making sure she had enough detonation tape and fuses to be ready for anything. She however wanted to enjoy the weekend, and get caught up in her classes. Despite being ITEM's demolitions expert, she still had a ruse to carry out, and as of late she was falling behind in her courses.

"Ahh, why must Mugino call us to this meeting now?" Frenda whined. "I still need to get to that chemistry exam and finish my AP World history report."

She walked to the corner dining booth where she saw Saiai, Rikou, and Mugino already sitting. Saiai was busy reading a movie review magazine, Rikou was off in her own little world, and Mugino was staring greedily at her phone, smirking evilly.

"Oi, what took you so long Frenda?" Mugino asked a bit harshly, though Frenda knew that Mugino was always strict, though she did care about ITEM and its members.

"Sorry, I got held up as I prepped to keep my ruse up after this meeting," Frenda said. "We all go to school still, so I can't afford to fall behind and be held up if we get a mission."

Mugino grunted very un-lady like, and Frenda took a seat next to Saiai. A waitress came over, and Frenda ordered an ice tea, not bothering to get something to eat as she didn't suspect the meeting to take awhile.

"So why did you call this meeting?" Frenda asked. Mugino began tapping her phone on the table.

"Well, simply put, Saiai during her recon mission at the hospital found more information with regards to our 'target' Costa Angelica."

At this point, Mugino pulled out copies of the medical report and handed them to everyone. Frenda had muted out the mummuring as she read the report. It gave basic medical information, age, weight, height, esper level and ability, blood pressure, cybernetic enhancements… wait, what? Frenda glanced at the list of various cybernetic enhancements and paled.

She remembered when she was being taught about the art of bomb crafting how her mentor, a freelance blonde terrorist who took Frenda under her wing so Frenda could provide for her younger sister Frema, would speak at her open disgust at the government of Italy using innocent girls as war hounds by corrupting their minds and giving them bodies suited only for war.

Thus Frenda looked further into the report, and began to only imagine why the Board of Directors would want to keep Angelica alive; they wanted to replicate the results of the cybernetics for their own gain, be it purely for medical profits or to make super soldiers. She shook her head, while the others were a bit paler, except for Mugino who Frenda could tell was planning something a bit low.

"So, now we know why the Board of Directors wants this little angel safe," Mugino said, her smiled not hiding the greed and manipulation Mugino was in reality. "So, all we need to do is figure a way to get this Angelica to be in our pocket…"

"You mean your super pocket," Saiai said, rubbing her forehead. Frenda raised an eyebrow, why would Saiai be tired, she didn't stay up making sure she got all her bombs in a row.

"Whatever," Mugino said, dismissing Saiai's statement. "The point remains, she is valuable and thus worth something, both to us and most definitely to the Board of Directors. However, how do we get her in our pocket?"

Frenda could tell Mugino was staring at her, and Frenda wanted to hide. If Angelica was a cyborg, than it was without a doubt that Angelica had ties to the Social Welfare Agency. If she knew that Frenda had ties to the FRF, then Frenda would need to be on the run for the rest of her life.

"Mugino, what do you want?" Frenda asked, a sweat breaking down her brow. Mugino smiled.

"Well, since you know more about Italian politics and the FRF than anyone else here, how hard would it be to convince Angelica to…" Frenda didn't know exactly what Mugino was going to ask, but she had to refuse.

"Mugino, please no, I beg of you!" Frenda pleaded. "I will do anything, massage your back, be your personal bag carrier for a year, do your school work, but please, don't make me talk to that killer!" Frenda realized what she said and cover her mouth, cursing herself mentally for saying something out of line.

Mugino looked at Frenda and cocked her head, curious by her statement.

"What do you mean killer?" Mugino asked. "As far as the report goes, she is from Italy, the FRF are after her, and we now know she is a cyborg, what makes you think she is a killer?"

Frenda began berating herself for speaking about such matters; why did she become so desperate and blurted out that tiny bit of information. Frenda took a deep breath before explaining.

"If the FRF are after Angelica, and due to her being a cyborg, that would mean that she was a part of the Social Welfare Agency as a counter-terrorist soldier," Frenda said. "My mentor, Franca, told me that they often took young girls near death for the cybernetic processing and mental conditioning to make them loyal soldiers."

"So what is your problem?" Mugino asked, not quite grasping the issue at hand.

"If Angelica found out I had any connections to the FRF, even though I didn't have much of a choice, then she probably either beat the living shit out of me or kill me!" Frenda said, urging Mugino to see the problem with having her talk with Angelica. But unfortunately for Frenda, Mugino didn't see this as a problem; rather she was enticed by the idea of a counter terrorist cyborg.

"Oh, I wonder what sort of training she has," Mugino muttered. She looked at Frenda, who was pale now and was sweating badly. "Oh well, I suppose we have to take care of the terrorist faster than I expected."

"What do you super mean?" Saiai asked. Mugino chuckled.

"Well, if Angelica is counter-terrorist as Frenda explained, then she won't sit idly by and let the terrorist gather themselves and take her out; she will probably try and find some way to take them out," Mugino explained. "And I am not going to allow our bounty to get away from me by the very person we are trying to protect."

Frenda blew a breath of relief; Mugino's eagerness to make money sometimes outweighed her desire to manipulate everyone.

"So no need for me to talk to her?" Frenda asked, hoping for the best. Mugino laughed.

"Not right now, but I expect you to talk her into our pocket somehow," Mugino said. "So while we aren't actively hunting down the terrorist, I want you to formulate a plan to get her to either help us or join ITEM."

Frenda wanted to curl up and cry at this point, however Mugino thankfully switched subjects.

"Rikou, have you found any information about the whereabouts of the terrorists?" Mugino asked. Rikou shook her head.

"No, however, I suspect they are likely in District 19; the presence of Anti-Skill and Judgment there is at a minimum, and with urban decay an issue there, many of the buildings that should have up to date surveillance and a flow of people are largely empty and perfect to use as a safe house."

Mugino rubbed her chin; she hated the idea of not knowing where the terrorist are. But for now, she had to resign herself to this problem. If she was the terrorist, she would want to quickly eliminate Angelica and make a bee-line out of the city. Staying around for too long will likely result in capture and arrest, and Angelica would survive as a result.

"Alright then, the next thing we will focus on is discovering the whereabouts of the safe house. Saiai and Frenda, you will pair up and attempt to search through the district, while Rikou and I will scan Judgment and Anti-Skill radio chatter and reports to see if we can garner any more information."

Frenda and the others nodded, and they got up to begin the long task of searching for the terrorist. Frenda cursed herself, she would not be getting to her exams as expected.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ah sorry for the delay! My life is kind of hectic at the moment, and thus it took over a week to get this chapter out. Now, onto the reviews;**

**-Triser: Ah, the Roman Catholic Church will get involved, but not for a long time. This is because while the RCC sees Academy City as a threat, they think they can contain the influence of the City. **

**However, due to my story having new characters with their own influences, the RCC will have a new issue arise from Angelica's presence, but that won't be touch on until she becomes really powerful (read level 4+). **

**As for ITEM, I do intend to make Angelica and Frenda be friendly with one another, but right now, we see Frenda terrified of the prospect of meeting the cyborg. But the two will get along due to their abilities concerning bomb crafting.**

**-Guest: I give you Accelerator, though why he didn't stay at the hospital is to do with his personality; he just doesn't give a shit about people at the moment (remember, he didn't bother helping people out until Last Order came into his life, and that is two years from now). And don't worry, Angelica won't be overpowered too quickly, she is fairly balanced with her progression of power.**

**Now, as always, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	8. Chapter 7: Terror Rises

Chapter 7: Terror Rises

* * *

Angelica yawned, working on the zip revolver on the Friday afternoon in her room. The week following the steel mill attack had been very tiring. Due to her being unable to leave the grounds of Nagatenjouki Academy, she had been forced to spend most of her free time planning for various assassinations attempts, improving her esper ability, or working on her zip-revolver. She wanted to get out and explore the city, but the FRF terrorist had put an end to that.

She sighed, and looked at her revolver, which was slowly taking shape. She had managed to carve, smooth out, and polished the handle, and she managed to get the cylinder bored out. All that remained was boring the barrel, making a hand guard around the barrel, and putting the entire weapon together. She had thankfully made the cylinder easy to turn in place; she only needed to cock the 'hammer' to turn the revolver.

She was relying on the fact that she would use her ability to put the gunpowder into the bullets and to ignite them, thus bypassing the need for a trigger and firing pin. She chuckled at the ease it was to build a revolver, and was thinking how long it would take for her to make enough cartridges and bullets when the dorm's front door slammed shut.

Angelica shook her head, her train of thought wrecked upon Accelerator's arrival into the dorm. Despite the fact he had been here for a week, Angelica wasn't used to his presence, and would wish that he get transferred out soon. He was a less than stellar roommate, to say the least of the subject.

"Oi brat, I'm home," growled Accelerator. Angelica sighed, and pushed her chair out from her desk and headed to the kitchen, knowing all too well that if she wanted to eat, now was the time to make her dinner. It wasn't because Accelerator hated the noise or the smell or her cooking, he could easily reflect those easily. No, the problem was that he would constantly talk and act superior to her in every single way possible.

She walked into the kitchen and began to pull out the necessary ingredients to make Bolognese sauce with fettuccine. She hoped she could do this without the albino beginning his rant, but to her dismay she was wrong.

"Hey, what screwed up and wasteful dish are you making now?" Accelerator mocked, beginning the afternoon ritual of trying to make the cyborg snap. He smiled as she remained mute; he like fucking with someone who knew that she couldn't do jack shit to him, either verbally or physically.

"A meat sauce with noodles," Angelica said calmly, trying to calm down. She regretted that with the loss of the conditioning menial things like Accelerator's insults began to get to her. "Would you like some?"

"I've explain this multiple times; I don't care for your meals, and thus I fend for myself, so quit asking!" Accelerator yelled. He smirked before changing subjects. "Oh, how did you training with Ms. Jounan go?"

Angelica knew that talking about her ability would prompt him to boast about his ability, to an extent that Angelica thought was impossible. The only person who came close to being as boastful as Accelerator was Triela, but at least that was earned through sweat and blood. What did the albino do to deserve his pride?

"It went fine," Angelica said quietly. "Not much happened, just quantity and fuel composition testing."

"Is that it?" Accelerator continued to mock. "Oh, that is truly pathetic! That pales to the ability to manipulate any and all vectors! You will never be stronger than me, ever!" He grinned, but his statement got Angelica to pause, and she looked at the albino.

Despite how much he boast about his ability and how he never lost a fight, he looked incredibly weak, and under certain circumstances, sickly. He was skinny, and he lacked any muscle growth. She thought perhaps due to his ability Accelerator never bothered to work out, but still, Angelica met people who were as lazy as he was who looked more fit.

"Is that so?" Angelica said. "I wonder, if we were to have a simple physical challenge, without using abilities mind you, would you truly be stronger?" She saw him scowl, and she felt a smile tugging at her face.

"Fucking brat, thinking her cybernetics makes her godly," said the hypocritical albino. "Just because you can beat most Anti-Skill officers in terms of physical strength and endurance doesn't mean shit when I can reflect all the kinetic energy from your punches and kicks back into you."

Accelerator continued to glare at Angelica, who was annoyed that he was again correct. She sighed and went back to her cooking, while Accelerator continued to try and antagonize her. She had finished the sauce and noodles and was dishing up when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Angelica said, and she saw Accelerator glare at her.

"This is my dorm too you know," muttered Accelerator, but thankfully he was too lazy to do anything about it.

Ms. Jounan came in, followed by Kuroko. Angelica saw Kuroko had a pass clipped to her shirt, and she was smiling.

"Hi Angelica!" Kuroko said. "So this is your dorm."

"Yeah," Angelica confirmed. "So Ms. Jounan, what brings you here?" Jounan smiled.

"Well, due to you being cooped up in this dorm and on Academy grounds until the situation regarding the kidnappers is dealt with, I figured you could use company. Also, I came to speak to your roommate regarding his dorm."

Angelica nearly cried out in joy, but Accelerator pushed his way past her, walking up to Jounan.

"Fine, make it quick woman," Accelerator said. "See you later brat." He left with Jounan, who walked into the hallway, while Kuroko looked at Angelica, her posture somewhat sympathetic.

"What a jerk," Kuroko said. "Please tell me you hadn't had to deal with him for too long?"

"In reality, no, but he is intolerable, to the point where I eat dinner now just to minimize my exposure to him," Angelica said. "But never mind that; would you like some Bolognese sauce over noodles?"

"Sure," Kuroko said. Angelica quickly dishes up a plate for Kuroko and herself and set them on the table. Kuroko smiled at the dinner. "Thank you."

"No problem," Angelica said. "So are you staying the weekend?" Kuroko nodded.

"Yeah, thankfully your instructor Ms. Jounan was kind enough to give me a pass for the weekend. So Angelica, how are you feeling?'

"Much better, my shoulder is healing and I don't feel much pain anymore," Angelica said. "But I hate being locked up in this dorm."

"I understand, it is like being trapped against your will," Kuroko said, not realizing how true that feeling was for Angelica. Ever since she was taken in by the SWA, she had been trapped, with no say in her fate. But Angelica repressed the thoughts, knowing Kuroko meant nothing by it.

"That's true," Angelica said. "But I suppose it is for my safety and the publics'." Kuroko nodded.

"I think it's for the best," Kuroko said. She was already halfway through her meal. "This is really good Angelica, do you cook for a hobby?"

"Sort of," Angelica said. "I don't mind the local cuisine, but I am more comfortable with Italian cuisine, and thus I have to cook it myself." She was about to add how she didn't like the thought of eating rice with every meal when Accelerator came back in, slamming the door.

"God damn waste of my time," growled Accelerator. "Fucking lot of good that does me." He grabbed one of his ice coffees and sat back down on the couch. Angelica sighed; he wasn't leaving as she hoped.

"What's going on?" Angelica asked, ready to regret having asked. Accelerator chuckled.

"Turns out some punk asses decided to vandalize my old dorm, and due to a shortages of dorms and Mr. Daichi being unwilling to part with the yen for an apartment, I am here to stay." Accelerator sighed, and threw his now empty can in the vague direction of the trash can, purposely missing to piss Angelica off.

"Is he always like this?" whispered Kuroko. Angelica shook her head.

"Not really, but he is just arrogant," Angelica said. "Also, I am not picking that can up; I got tired of that yesterday!" Accelerator laughed before beginning on another can.

"yeah, whatever," he muttered. Angelica shook her head, before remembering about her revolver project. She couldn't let Kuroko see it; she somehow knew that despite Kuroko being her only friend, she would instantly disapprove of her making an illegal firearm.

"Hey, I got to tidy my room up," Angelica said to Kuroko. She quickly left the kitchen, only to see Accelerator look at her disbelieving, before she flipped him off to get him to remember what was in the room. He sighed once more and threw another missing can.

Angelica headed to her room and quickly stashed all the parts and work material for the revolver in a spare shoe box that oddly enough Accelerator had thrown aside when he moved in. She was quick to snatch it and use it as a holding box for her revolver project. She also remade the bed to fool Kuroko, and Angelica felt bummed for having to lie to her.

She shook herself and headed out of her room, to see Kuroko was glaring at Accelerator.

"Why must you be a pig to Angelica?" Kuroko began. "Hey I'm talking to you!" Angelica face palmed, as she saw Accelerator casually, and out of sight of Kuroko, flipped Angelica off.

"It's no use yelling at him," Angelica began to point out. "He is reflecting your chatter away from him, and thus he doesn't hear you." Kuroko looked at Angelica, her face red.

"Are you serious?" Kuroko asked. When Angelica nodded, she sighed and walked up to Angelica. "Screw him, let's do something in your room."

"Sure," Angelica confirmed. "I don't have much at the moment, but still, it beats dealing with him." As both Kuroko and Angelica began to head into her room, Accelerator smirked to himself, mentally putting another tally to kicking Angelica out of the living room.

* * *

"Yes sir, I apologize for the failure sir," Benito sincerely said. "However, we almost had her before one of the city's espers came in and interfered."

"I see," Cristiano said. "Then have you a new plan to taking care of the cyborg, or should I send in my specialist?" Benito swallowed a lump in his throat; the thought of that kid coming out was a nightmare.

"We have a plan, however, I wish to discuss a factor of the plan," Benito stated. "If we want to pull this plan I have off, then we need some outsiders to act as fall men." He heard Cristiano rubbing his chin, wondering what the plan was.

"What will these fall men be doing?" Cristiano asked. Benito chuckled.

"Simple, they will be attracting the attention of the media and the police forces while we slip through and put the rest of the plan into action."

"Oh, and what does this plan entail?" Benito felt himself empowered due to his plan.

"The plan is simple; we use these fall men that are from an extreme faction of the Skill-Out organization to attract the attention of the Anti-Skill and Judgment, while my men and I smuggle in a bomb to take out the cyborg."

"Hm, and where exactly are you smuggling the bomb into?" Cristiano asked. "Last thing I need is for that city to come after us…"

"They won't sir," Benito assured Cristiano. "Besides, if worse comes to worse, I have insurance."

"And what might that be?" Benito checked his desk and pulled out a file, and looked through all the dirt he got. With that SWA agent thought he was being sly, in reality Benito had gotten enough dirt with that meeting to throw the blame onto them.

"When I met with that SWA agent, I had a few men take photos of the meeting, and when he handed us the fake IDs we had a laser mic and video record that entire meeting. With this dirt, it will look like we got greedy and were hired by the SWA to take out the cyborg."

Benito heard Cristiano chuckle dryly. He knew that was a sign of approval, but still, it unnerved him when his boss chuckled.

"Very well, hire the men you need," Cristiano ordered. "Keep that black mail safe, no need to use it until the end. Don't call me again unless it is to confirm the cyborg is dead." The line went dead, and Benito got up and headed to the garage the warehouse had.

He walked down the stairs and saw Victor and Martin working on the blockbuster bomb. Due to a lack of military grade explosives they could get their hands on, Victor and Martin took a page from the Oklahoma City bombing and designed their bomb using the similar principles. While the bomb wouldn't be the seven thousand pound monster that was used, it would still pack one hell of a punch, weighing in at around four thousand pounds.

But for Victor this wasn't enough. He insisted that around the explosive charges they place a several rings of PBC pipes filled to the brim with ball bearings, and Benito approved of it, thinking that with a cyborg they couldn't take chances. Getting the material was easy when Karl, while trying to figure out how to get a bomb into the Nagatenjouki dorm, stumbled upon the extremist cell of Skill-Out. They had agreed to getting the bomb material and had specifically asked to partake in the taking out of Nagatenjouki.

"How is the bomb coming along?" Benito asked. Victor chuckled.

"Primary charges and fragmentation rings are complete. We are working on the trigger, which should be complete soon, and the anti-defusal system." Benito smirked; all was coming to plan.

"Good," Benito said. "The boss said we can hire those extremist, so I am going to give Karl a call so he can finalize the arrangements."

"Sir, I need a word very quickly," Martin said. Martin led Benito to the other end of the garage.

"Listen, even if we go through with this plan," Martin began. "The whole city will be crawling around there; how the hell will we get the bomb in and get ourselves out?" Benito yawned, this was a problem until yesterday.

"Karl along with those extremist managed to find an older Anti-Skill armored car we can use to smuggle the bomb in; after all who is going to question an armored car coming to help defuse the situation?"

Martin nodded and left, going back to work on the anti-defusal system. Benito observed the relatively simple system being used. It was a design where if you remove the primary trigger from the bomb, a secondary trigger, with the pressure being removed, would activate and detonate the bomb. It was a system that US soldier called anti-bomb squad bombs, due to them being booby trapped upon a successful disarming of the bomb.

Benito pulled his phone out and dialed Karl.

"Karl, its Benito, confirm the deal and get back," Benito ordered. The German chuckled.

"Of course sir," Karl said. "I just have a stop to make on the way back for added insurance." Benito scratched his cheek.

"Oh, what might that be?" Benito asked. Karl laughed.

"Some body armor to help us infiltrate the Academy Grounds," Karl said. "What good is it to have the van if we don't look the part?" Benito nodded.

"Very well, just get back here soon, the bomb is almost complete, and I want to give that cyborg the worst case of the Mondays ever."

* * *

Mugino was fuming; she had spent a week fruitlessly looking around District 19 in these god awful clothing that made her look like a skank. She had to punch several of the pigs that resided in the district already for thinking she was a prostitute. And to top it off she was no closer to finding out where the hell the terrorist were or what they were planning.

"Rikou, how are Anti-Skill and Judgment doing?" Mugino asked. She had Rikou listening to the law enforcement's radio chatter to see if they could get any information regarding the terrorist or what they were up to.

"Nothing yet," Rikou said. "Other than an armored car being stolen last night, there hasn't been much chatter on the lines." Mugino scowled at the news.

"Tsk, fucking figures, since we aren't having any luck ourselves, why should they? Oh wait, it's their fucking jobs!" Mugino continued to walk down the alley, glaring at the lack of any terrorist to destroy. She knew she wasn't the most patient of people, but even a week of searching would make most people give up. She sighed as the sun began its final dip beyond the horizon.

"Mugino, perhaps we should rethink our plan," Rikou suggested. "We have been largely trying to search the entire district, but they could be moving about, to keep anyone from finding them."

"I don't think so," Mugino said definitely. "Moving about would force them to pack up whatever they have, and it would be hard for them to not be noticed moving about randomly. They most likely..." Mugino then saw a man fitting the description of the terrorist called Karl walking to a large building. Mugino smiled.

"Never mind what I was saying!" Mugino hissed to Rikou. "I think we found their safe-house. Rikou, call Frenda and Saiai and tell them to be ready just in case we have indeed found the safe-house."

"Alright," Rikou calmly said, and she began to text Saiai. Mugino however began to sprint to the large building, hoping to find an entrance. She saw the door Karl had entered through was now closed, and besides, she didn't want to take the obvious entrance if she could avoid it. Looking to the side of the building, she found the fire escape.

"Rikou, get over here," Mugino ordered. When the black haired girl in a pink track suit came, Mugino pointed to the fire escape. "I am going to see if I can't see if I can see what is going on inside."

"Alright then, just be safe," Rikou said, knowing she was to stay out of sight. Mugino then climbed the ladder and rot to the top of the fire escape, entering through a window. She chuckled at the ease of getting in, only to have her face fall with what she saw inside.

Around thirty men, armed with AK-47s and grenades, wearing urban camouflage, black boots and balaclavas were standing in formation below her. In front of them wearing a black beret was a stout looking man, conversing with Karl. The two seemed to be finalizing some deal, as Karl then shook the stout man's hand.

The man turned to the soldiers and raised his fist in the air.

"Today is the day where we fight to wrestle control from the plague that is the existence of espers!" the man announced. "With the assistance of our friends who share our passion, we shall strike a decisive blow to the city and its esper program!"

Mugino scowled, her disgust for the man growing with each second. She had heard of the radical sects of Skill-Out, but this was something else. These men were more like the terrorist she was hunting than the gangs she was used to. But the men below her began to chant.

"Death to the espers! Long live our leader Marcus!" Mugino raised an eyebrow and looked at the stout man. She then saw how he clearly wasn't a local, but more European in his look. Marcus had blonde hair and had a scar across his right eye.

"Enough!" Marcus yelled out. "However, just because of our friend's plan to help us in our fight does mean we should be reckless! We must inform our other cells, and prepare for the day of revolution!"

Mugino felt herself desperately wanting to have Frenda here so she could blow away the men with her bombs while Mugino took her sweet time with Marcus. But Marcus then turned to Karl.

"Mr. Karl, do you have anything to say before you leave?" Mugino saw Karl chuckle.

"Yes; do this job right, me and my boss will see to it that you guys are well supplied with guns, bombs, and training to keep up the fight!" The German declared. "Our experiences with espers have shown the dangers they pose, and thus they must be stopped!"

The soldiers began to grow restless, and Mugino felt a shiver of terror run down her spine. If the other terrorist cells were like this one, than the entire city would be in danger. She wondered why she felt so disturbed by these men; she had dealt with their kind before, but something unnerved her about their fanaticism.

She saw the soldiers beginning to disperse into squads of 5, with a squad standing guard around Karl and Marcus. She moved out from her spot to get on the rafters that hanged above the men. She saw Marcus and Karl smiling.

"I truly look forward to the operation," Marcus said, pulling out a cigar. "Want one; it's a Cuban Cigar." Karl chuckled and nodded, taking one.

"Ja, the operation will be impressive to say the least," Karl said. "However, if we need to begin it early due to, unexpected circumstances, would it affect the outcome of the mission?" Marcus waved his finger.

"Not really, the schools are practically opened every day. The academy in question may not have active classes like during the week, but they will still have several espers and their teachers in classes for tutoring and other sessions," Marcus clarified. "However, how exactly are we going to enter?"

"Simple," Karl began to explain. "I will arrive at the target area in an unmarked car and jam their electronic surveillance and get access into their security systems. Your men will then enter the academy, storming the main building, and then you will bring all the espers into the largest room, probably the gym, where you will begin the inevitable siege."

"I see," Marcus said. "What of the other cells, will they have any participation in the operation?" Mugino saw Karl nod, dusting the tip of his cigar.

"Ja, Ja, they however must wait until my associates infiltrate the academy under the cover of Anti-Skill and Judgment. But when we do, I will send a signal to allow the other cells to attack Judgment offices and Anti-skill facilities."

Mugino felt herself hating both men greatly as they continue to talk. She hated their xenophobia, though she knew that Karl was probably using Marcus's xenophobia to his advantage. He couldn't have such strong resentment for espers, now could he?

"Very well, I will have Alpha cell take the siege operations, while Bravo, Charlie, and Delta go after Judgment offices, and Echo, Foxtrot, and Gulf take on Anti-Skill facilities, namely the armories and training facilities."

Mugino paled at the thought of two hundred and ten armed terrorist running around the city, either firebombing headquarters, shooting officers in the streets, or committing massacres. She had to get out now and warn her employer so that he may contact Anti-Skill and Judgment and get them at least somewhat prepared.

She turned around and was walking off the rafters when she stepped a bit too hard and caused one of the lights below her to go out. Karl, Marcus, and the squad looked up and saw her.

"Kill the intruder!" Marcus yelled, and Mugino saw the squad raise their weapons. Mugino was half tempted to take them out, but she saw Marcus sound an alarm, causing the entire building to light up and she heard several squads converging on her position.

"Fucking bastards!" Mugino yelled, as she threw caution to the wind, and ran to the window where the fire escape was. The terrorist began to fire on her position, but as she looked out, she saw Karl and Marcus running out to get to a black car, where two squads began to escort them out of the area. She wondered if that was the car Karl would use to attack the academy, when she realized she didn't get any information with regards to which academy they were after.

She however was more focused on getting out alive. Using her ability, she created a shield which incinerated the hail of bullets aimed at her. She chuckled at the terrorist began to flank her.

"Like hell you ass holes are catching up to me!" Mugino yelled out, as she threw herself out of the window. She fell to the ground, where she used her ability to soften the fall. She however still failed to achieve a soft landing, as she managed somehow to cut herself from her beams cutting the fire escape and a piece of it falling on her leg.

"Damn it!" Mugino yelled. She looked over to Rikou. "We have to get out of here! Where are the others?"

"I overheard the speech, so I told them to get here with the van," Rikou said. "I heard Frenda was preparing a surprise package for them."

Mugino chuckled; the thought of a Frenda package was very touching. While the French blonde may have had her faults, she was at least prepared for a fight. But by the time they were back in the alley, the soldiers from the building had recommenced firing on them, taking positions throughout the various windows. Mugino quickly shoved Rikou behind a garbage bin while she created a plasma barrier to stop any bullets from hitting her.

"When will you ass holes quit?!" Mugino barked out. The soldiers however were smarter than she expected. She could see barely as a couple of them lifted up a couple of RPG-7s and took aim around her. To make matters worse, a squad of the soldiers was on the ground and approaching her.

She decided to not give them an easy target and quickly took cover behind another garbage bine, and removed the plasma barrier. She then began her own attack. She created four beams and shot them out to the ground squad. While three of them were hit, the other two had managed to take cover.

"It's over espers!" yelled on of the soldiers. "In a couple of seconds, the other squads will surround and cut off any escape, and then you will fucking die! However, if you give up, you might be made into a couple of high class whores!"

Mugino was so revolted by the idea of being made into a whore she made one massive beam and took out the asshole who suggested they give up. She glanced over at Rikou, who was flinching at the bullets that flew past her position.

"Rikou, how much longer?!" Mugino asked urgently. She then was interrupted by the other soldier.

"Fuck you assholes! Guys, fire the RPGs already!" Mugino then saw several rockets flying to her position, and she knew she couldn't do anything to stop them. Either she get a couple but the others hit or she tried to run and get killed by the gunfire. She was so pissed about the situation when she saw someone in an orange sweater jump in front of the rockets, tanking the hit.

"Saiai, are you fucking mad!?" Mugino raged at her teammate, but was secretly glad the young girl had come.

"I am super not thrilled about this situation!" Saiai said, as she raised a F-2000 to return fire.

"Where's Frenda?" Mugino asked, as she launched more of her beams at the building, but she was just too far away to do any damage. Saiai shrugged.

"She is preparing to cover our escape, so…"

"You don't have a clue," Mugino said, finishing the statement. "If she fucking leaves, I will finish her off…" She then heard the van barreling in reverse, and she saw the back door opened, revealing Frenda and a large black box.

"I'm here!" Frenda yelled, kicking the box out. Mugino watched as the box deployed, revealing several of Frenda's anti-tank shells. They fired off like a bunch of rockets, and began to head to the building. When they impacted, the building's wall shattered, and Mugino could see several of the soldiers who weren't killed in the explosion getting crushed by the debris.

"Oh for God's sake get in!" Frenda yelled. Mugino snapped out of it and got into the van, with Saiai helping Rikou in. Frenda then slammed the door shut, and pounded on the wall to inform the driver to get the hell out of there.

As the van lurched forward, heading out of district 19, Frenda looked over to Mugino.

"Did I do good?" Frenda asked impatiently. "Does this mean I don't have to confront Angelica now?" She batted her eyes, hoping to appeal to Mugino somehow.

"Yeah, you did good, but you still are going to convince Angelica to join ITEM," Mugino said. "However, that isn't the issue, I need to get a message to our employer." She pressed the intercom button, and before Frenda or Saiai to ask why, the employer was on the line.

"Mugino, I hope you aren't interrupting my day for idle chatter," her employer said in a very annoyed voice.

"I'm not," Mugino said. "I just found out that the targets you hired us to go after have just hired a multi-celled Skill-Out gang to help them with their mission, and I use gang lightly as they are more like an armed insurgent group."

Her employer must've been drinking as they heard a glass shatter as it hit a wall.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!" their employer roared. "Are you telling me that the terrorist you were hired to take out managed to find another group of terrorist, one in the city?!"

"Yes," Mugino said, rubbing her head. "I managed to eavesdrop on their meeting, and they sound like they have a operation planned very soon." She heard the employer sigh.

"What are the details?" her employer asked. Mugino decided to keep it brief.

"The terrorist plan to take over an academy, which one I don't know though given their relations with the FRF scums probably Nagatenjouki. They plan also to have six other cells to attack Judgment and Anti-Skill facilities when they begin the siege."

ITEM held its breath as their employer remained silent. After a minute, he came back.

"At this moment, the Board of Directors are approving any actions you take, and they are going to mobilize Anti-Skill and Judgment for the attack. However, due to your mission focusing on the FRF terrorist, they remain your top priority. Take them out and quickly."

The line went dead, and Mugino shook her head. This wasn't good, and she expected that her life was about to get a lot more chaotic. She turned to the others.

"Alright, I heard that the FRF will attempt to infiltrate the academy after the siege has begun, so that is when we will go after the FRF terrorist," Mugino said. "So get whatever you need, and listen to all radio chatter, we need to know immediately where they target."

"Alright," Frenda said. "Will I be allowed to use my bombs?" Mugino rubbed her chin.

"No, I don't need confusion when the terrorist start their siege. Pack a handgun of your choice and aim only at the terrorist."

"Alright." Frenda then sighed and leaned on the van's wall. Mugino did the same, and she began to wonder when the terrorist would strike.

* * *

Angelica was lying on her bed, while Kuroko was sitting in her chair. The two had been quietly chatting away about various things, and Angelica noted that it was now late in the evening, getting close to curfew. She had heard Accelerator enter his room, closing the door.

"So Kuroko," Angelica began. "So do you have any family you see often?" Kuroko shook her head.

"Not really, my mother is a high profile lawyer, and due to her job she sent me to live in Academy City for the education and housing benefits. Before that though we weren't close, as we butt heads over somethings…" At this point, Kuroko blushed and turned away, causing Angelica to wonder why.

"Um, what did you and your mother not agree about?" Angelica asked. Kuroko sighed, rolling in Angelica's office chair.

"Well, mainly my preference in relationships," Kuroko said. Angelica tilted her head, a bit confused.

"Huh?" Angelica said. "What about relationships could your mother get angry at you for?" Kuroko gave Angelica dead panned stare, unable to comprehend what she heard.

"Angelica, have you ever dated, or liked someone?" Kuroko asked, trying to clairify her understanding of her friend.

"Other than my father, no," Angelica said. "I didn't have much time to be bothered with relationships to be honest." Angelica wanted to say she couldn't have gotten into a relationship due to the SWA, where she remembered Rico having to kill a bellhop boy due to him walking in on a hit.

"Well, do you understand the norms for relationships?" Kuroko asked.

"What, a guy and a girl date, what isn't there to understand?" Angelica asked. Kuroko took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well, I wasn't into relationships like that," Kuroko stated, and when Angelica didn't say anything, Kuroko sighed in annoyance. "Look, I rather be with a girl than a guy that way, alright?"

Angelica looked at Kuroko, not sure what to think. She hadn't been in a relationship, much less had a friend who wasn't a part of the SWA, so she didn't have anything to base her opinion on. It was quite unnerving for her.

"I… don't have any, er, objections to that?" Angelica said, unsure of what to say. She rubbed her neck nervously, why couldn't the conditioning process have anything to help her out here? She saw Kuroko blush a little.

"So, are you saying you don't have a preference?" Kuroko asked. Angelica felt herself flame up.

"I… uh… I never had a chance to be in a relationship," Angelica said sheepishly. "So I wouldn't know." She saw Kuroko giggle.

"Well, that won't do, now can it?" Kuroko said. She got off the chair and got on Angelica's bed, grabbed her hand. "So Angelica would you…"

However, before Kuroko could finish, they heard a large crash from across the hall way. Angelica got up, instinctively grabbing a piece of the wood she was using for her revolver, and placed herself between the door and Kuroko.

"Who's there?" Angelica demanded, only to hear a chuckle from Accelerator's room.

"Woops, didn't think kicking my shoes off would make that much noise," Accelerator casually said through the doors. Angelica glared at the door, easing due to having heard him do that stunt two days ago.

"Just keep it down, alright?" Angelica asked. She heard Accelerator grunt, and she wondered if he would ever heed what she said. She put the piece of wood down and looked at Kuroko.

"You alright?" Angelica asked, sitting next to Kuroko on her bed. Kuroko nod.

"Must you seriously deal with him all the time?" Kuroko asked. "This is one reason I can't stand men." Angelica nodded, as her perception of men was skewed due to dealing with terrorist. She looked over at the clock and saw it was nearing eleven.

"Um, we should probably get ready to get some sleep," Angelica pointed out. Kuroko nodded, only to pause.

"Hey Angelica, where am I going to sleep?" Kuroko asked. Angelica shrugged, thinking the answer was obvious.

"You can share my bed," Angelica said. She witnessed Kuroko completely redden in the face. "Kuroko, are you alright?!"

"I-I-I'm fine!" Kuroko stammered. "I just need to change into something more comfortably, so where's the bathroom?" Angelica directed Kuroko to the bathroom, and the young auburn hair girl grabbed her bag and changed. Angelica sighed and began to change into her black night gown.

She wondered why Kuroko was red in the face. They only had two beds, and she didn't think anyone short of FRF terrorist, or maybe Jean, deserved to sleep on a couch that Accelerator laid on. Just because he didn't get dirty didn't mean he showed the same respect for the furniture he ate and drank on.

She saw Kuroko come back in a maroon pair of pajamas. Kuroko was fidgeting a bit.

"Are you sure it's alright?" Kuroko asked. Angelica nodded.

"Yes, it's fine," Angelica said as she got underneath the covers. "Just turn the light off before you get in." Kuroko nodded, and she turned the light off. Despite that the room became very dark, some light bled in and Angelica could see Kuroko climb in the bed.

Angelica felt Kuroko snuggle up to her, so that Angelica's head was nestled in Kuroko's hair. Angelica yawned, and her right hand laid on Kuroko's shoulder. She tried to sleep, but she felt Kuroko shaking, which was keeping her up.

"Kuroko, you are shaking, can you stop?" Angelica asked wearily. Kuroko nodded.

"Sorry," Kuroko said. "But this is…" Angelica sighed; annoyed where she was certain Kuroko was taking this.

"Kuroko, you're a friend, and thus there is nothing to be embarrassed about," Angelica said. "Besides, your skin is soft." She felt Kuroko heat up, but the shaking had stopped. Angelica smiled as her words did the trick. She closed her eyes, thinking about her past and her 'friends'.

She began to consider her past, and came upon a few realizations. While many of the cyborgs were nice to one another, she was oddly left out of the tight circle. Sure, with the exception of that one incident at the hospital involving a mean right slap from Claes, the others were cordial with her, but that was it. They didn't go out of their length to be good friends with her, the possible exception being Rico. Perhaps it's because those two had the stricter handlers than the rest.

Also, besides Rico and Marco, the only person of significant note was Priscilla. The Young Woman was always kind with Angelica, but Angelica knew she was always sad when she was around Angelica. She figured that she must've lost a lot of memories from the early days of the SWA, and the lack of those memories made Priscilla sad.

Angelica looked at Kuroko and smirked, glad to have the auburn hair girl as a close friend. Kuroko was quite fun to be around and as such Angelica enjoyed her company. To be sure, they only know each other for about two weeks, but in that time Kuroko had made Angelica's life much better than the almost hospitalized life style that she had endured at the SWA.

She fell into a deep slumber, unaware of the coming repercussions of a tea hair teen's actions that occurred earlier in the day.

* * *

Benito was enjoying a cup of his coffee (two spoons of sugar and a little cream) when he saw a convoy of four bikes with two people on each and a black car rolling up to the warehouse. He watched as Karl led the very short tempered Marcus into the warehouse. Benito set his cup down and went down to meet them.

As Benito was walking down the stairs, he saw Marcus glaring at him.

"YOU!" Marcus shouted. "We have a fucking situation!" Benito sighed; it was late and yet this self-righteous bastard was yelling at him.

"What happened Karl?" Benito dared to asked. The German leaned on the wall before answering.

"Our plans were overheard by a esper, young girl in her early teens with tea colored hair and fair skin. We don't know how much she heard, but we suspect she heard enough to inform the police forces in the city."

Benito was glad he left his coffee upstairs as he probably would've thrown it at the German in anger.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Benito lashed out. "If that is so, then we have to move on our objective sooner! VICTOR, how much longer till the bomb is complete?!"

Victor glanced over the large bomb he had made. He sighed.

"The bomb is complete, only thing left to do it to modify the armored car to support the weight of the bomb and to seal the back doors to prevent anyone from getting to the bomb. Martin says it will take about four to five hours to complete that job, if nothing gets in his way."

Benito looked at Marcus, who was pissed off.

"So we have to wait another day?!" Marcus asked. "But by the afternoon tomorrow the city will be crawling with Anti-Skill and Judgment; how will we be able to get to our objective unnoticed?"

Karl chuckled.

"Well, you have six more cells that could distract their attention to the outer districts, right?" Karl asked for clarification. Marcus laughed.

"Actually, we have more like twelve cells, eleven following most of Alpha being taken out when the esper's friend unleashed that fucking barrage on us and took out the building," Marcus said. "So you want them to create a game of hide and seek to keep Anti-Skill and Judgment on their feet?"

Benito knew that Karl and Marcus were thinking of the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India. 10 terrorist over the course of three days killed over one hundred and fifty people and injured another four hundred. What made the attack successful for the terrorist was they kept moving, striking throughout the city where the police were unable to do anything other than try and contain the situation. The police had to call in the Indian Army's Special Forces to end the crisis, which they did.

"Yes, I can arrange the cells to do that," Marcus muttered. "However, I am not going to have the time to organize them to completely keep Anti-Skill in disarray. But we can certainly make a mockery of the city and to discourage the city from any further esper development."

Benito nodded.

"So Victor, at the earliest, when can we begin the attack?"

"Sunday, so that should give you time to get the operation in line," Victor said, doing mental calculations. "Though boss, just to let you know, when this bomb goes off anyone within the dorm or near it will die, so whoever is delivering the bomb will have to hoof it out of there and quickly."

Benito chuckled. He nodded at the Russian.

"Very well, just get the modifications done as I want that bomb to be completely ready to go on Sunday." Benito then saw Marcus leaving the warehouse and beginning to make several phone calls. He yawned and head back upstairs, planning on finishing that coffee he left. He chuckled at the thought of the city being thrown into chaos, just so he could kill that fucking cyborg.

* * *

Aleister was fuming in his tank, reading the report ITEM had given its employer. The thought of the city being knocked out by a well-organized terrorist organization was a major pain in his ass, and something he didn't expect to have interfere with his plan. He was thankful for the report however.

First off, the terrorist weren't espers, but rather radicals who hated espers. This meant that he wouldn't necessary have to have a large number of espers and he could rely on conventional forces. Second, the report detailed their plans and targets. The primary target was probably Nagatenjouki, with secondary targets of Judgment offices and Anti-Skill facilities. The terrorist thought they would make a very public and very bloody siege within the city.

He sighed, knowing that while Anti-Skill and Judgment could easily deal with many of the terrorist cell, they probably will be bogged down with defending their resources and thus unable to protect Nagatenjouki. He knew that the school was far from helpless, with all the Level 3 and 4 espers in its wall, plus Accelerator and Angelica, but the situation was that most of the students never had to fight for their lives. He pushed a button to call someone.

"Ah, Aleister, to what do I owe the pleasure?" sarcastically said Kihara Amata. "Please tell me that the cyborg was a major let down so I could-"

"Amata, now isn't the time to be a pain in my ass," cursed Aleister, forgoing his usual composed self. "I have a problem that I need dealt with in a fashion on Hound Dog can."

Amata paused, know two very distinct things. First, Aleister never curses, and for him to do so is a sign things went wrong with his plan. And second, if he is calling on Hound Dog, it must be a pretty damn big problem.

"What asshole needs to be removed from the face of the Earth?" Amata asked, getting to the point. Aleister smiled.

"A Skill-Out gang has become a full blown terror cell, and they are planning a major attack on the city," Aleister began. "I know their targets, and Judgment and Anti-Skill will be able to handle most of them. However, the one that is going to be a problem will be Nagatenjouki Academy. I know Anti-Skill and Judgment will be too busy trying to put out the other fires, and the terrorist will attack the academy in a siege similar to Beslan."

"I see," Amata said, knowing of the catastrophic disaster that the Beslan School Siege was. "So Hound Dog will need to stop the siege from taking place?"

Aleister paused, thinking if that was the best route. It would ensure that the Academy was safe, but he felt the attack was a ruse. He needed to catch the FRF terrorist who motivated the Skill-Out gang to show their hand.

"No, I want you to allow the siege to begin, but I need Hound Dog to prevent a loss of life and end the siege," Aleister said. "I need the actual masters of the attack to show their hands, this attack is one large ruse for something else."

Amata chuckled; so Aleister was willingly to lose a few of his precious espers to get the bastards orchestrating the attack. He looked at the list of Hound Dog operatives, he had around fifty, more than enough he figured for a siege type situation.

"Very well Aleister, I will handle the situation," Amata said, before hanging up the phone. Aleister chuckled at the ease it was for him to manipulate the situation within the city. He began planning his next move, fully intent on making the terrorist regret ever setting foot in Academy City.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hehehe, the FRF terrorist have found a new avenue of attack against Angelica, and it will lead to one chaotic day for Academy City. A massive terrorist attack to kill Angelica, yep, she isn't going to have a calm day.**

**Now, to answer the reviews!**

**-Triser: Yeah, Frenda doesn't know the state of mind Angelica is in at the moment, though she isn't being irrational, just cautious. The two will meet up soon, though the circumstances surrounding it will be, let's just say, somber.**

**And nice catching that Jounan is taking the role of Angelica's handler. Angelica doesn't realize it though, to her it is instinctive. But it will be key part of the story, especially later on when Angelica meet the Railgun (hint: the two won't get along).**

**Also, the relationship between Angelica and Accelerator isn't going to be a romance, rather a growing mutual respect of one another. Right now, Angelica sees Accelerator as a unworthy punk who gloats over his ability, not knowing of his wretched past, and Accelerator sees Angelica as a someone pursuing a worthless goal and a threat to his ideal world.**

**That said, Kuroko and Angelica relationship will be of romance, for now. Also, before I get any flaming due to not making Kuroko overly attracted to Angelica, here is the thing; both Kuroko and Angelica are ten, a late ten granted, at this time. Neither of them has been in a serious relationship, and Kuroko hasn't become the zealous 'girlfriend' she tries to become with Misaka at this time.**

**So right now, Kuroko is understandable nervous, as she never has been with someone who has accepted her lesbian nature at the moment. But she will become more and more like what she is to Misaka in two years times with Angelica in the here and now. However, I will give a slight spoiler, it isn't going to be sunshine and roses for either. Envy has a way of destroying relationship, and Kuroko and Angelica's relationship will be no different.**

**But enough spoiling the future, until next time, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	9. Chapter 8: Siege of Nagatenjouki, Part 1

Chapter 8: Siege of Nagatenjouki, Part 1

* * *

Angelica yawned wearily as she awoke, the sun coming in the window. She saw that Kuroko was now in her chest, sleeping soundly. The day before, Kuroko had woken up before Angelica had and was dressed and was eating breakfast by the time Angelica got up.

This time though, Angelica was up, and she took the time to relax. She began playing with Kuroko's hair, and realized that it was remarkably soft. She knew her hair was fine, but it hard a certain roughness to it. Angelica stretched her legs out, making sure not to disturb Kuroko. As she was stretching she heard Kuroko muttering in her sleep.

"No mama, I didn't-please, don't leave me," Kuroko cried softly. Angelica felt herself grow sicken by this for some reason. She didn't have any memory of her own family, but the thought of being betrayed by one's family made her sick.

"Mama, it's just who I am, don't hate me," Kuroko continued to whine. Angelica felt a need to do something, so she did the only thing she could. She quietly pulled Kuroko into a hug, trying to comfort her from her reliving of past memories. After a while, Kuroko stopped crying, and she began to wake up.

"Eh, oh, hi Angelica," Kuroko began, rubbing her eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," Angelica replied, as she released Kuroko from her hug. "So how're you feeling?" Kuroko look into Angelica's eyes and saw her friend slightly concerned.

"Oh, I was just remembering an argument between my mother and I," Kuroko stated quickly. "It's not something to be concerned about. We should probably get dressed."

Angelica nodded and quickly grabbed her clothes before heading into the bathroom to change. She remembered yesterday when she began to change and Kuroko walked in. Suffice to say, after cleaning up the blood the spurted, no erupted, from Kuroko's nose and a lesson on how 'a lady should change', Angelica made sure not to repeat that mistake.

After changing into her school uniform, Angelica headed into the kitchen, where she saw Kuroko was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water.

"Ah, you look good as always," Kuroko said. Angelica smiled.

"Thank you Kuroko." Angelica was about to add something when Accelerator came out of his room.

"Keep it down you fucking brats," Accelerator growled, heading straight for his coffee. Both Angelica and Kuroko glared at the albino, annoyed with his rudeness. But both also knew commenting on it would just lead to a circle argument that would never end. So they ignored him for now.

"So Angelica, what are we going to do today?" Kuroko asked. "I saw there was an indoor pool on campus, want to go swimming?" Angelica paused.

"Um, I rather not," Angelica said; it wasn't due to her cybernetic enhancements weighing her down, they didn't, but rather a fear of being unable to swim and looking quite the fool. "I never was much of a swimmer." She saw Kuroko frown.

"Alright then, how about-"She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Angelica motioned she would get it, and headed to the dorm's door. She opened it and saw Jounan standing there, dressed in her Anti-Skill filed uniform.

"Hello Ms. Costa," Jounan said. "I need a word with Accelerator, and could you tell Kuroko to get her things?" Angelica looked at Jounan, and briefly wondered what was going on before she nodded.

"Of course Ms. Jounan," Angelica said. She walked into the kitchen, looking at Accelerator, who was busy drinking one of his ice coffees.

"Accelerator, Ms. Jounan requests a word from you, and Kuroko, I think that you trip is being cut short, as she has instructed me to tell you to gather your things." Kuroko looked sad while Accelerator was annoyed.

"What does that bitch want?" Accelerator muttered, pushing Angelica as he walked past her. Angelica wanted to kick him, but knowing his ability that would result in a broken ankle, something she wasn't keen on. So she turned to Kuroko.

"I'm sorry you have to go," Angelica said apologetically. Kuroko shook her head.

"No need to be sorry, I enjoyed our time together," Kuroko said, smiling at Angelica. "Sad it got cut short, but I suppose something came up…" Kuroko left the sentence hanging, and both went into Angelica's bedroom to gather her things, while Jounan and Accelerator were having their 'chat'.

"What?" Accelerator seethed. "You want me to do what?!" He was glaring at Jounan, who was already stressed out about a meeting that occurred yesterday at an emergency meeting with other members of Anti-skill and Judgment.

"Accelerator, if Nagatenjouki is targeted, and most likely will be due to the FRF terrorist, then the school will need the help of its best to take out the terrorist and to protect those who can't use their ability in a hostile environment. So for God's sake, get over yourself and help us with defending the academy."

Jounan hoped that the idea of the school being under siege and the thought of many mutilate bodies would compel the Level 5 into action. But Accelerator continued to glare at her.

"They are fucking terrorist with no abilities!" snapped Accelerator. "What the fuck could they hope to do to me?! I could fucking massacre them just by standing still! So no, I think I will go about my business as usual."

He was about to turn and walk off on Jounan when he paused. Was he really going to leave the school to its own devices, at the mercy of the terrorists? He thought back to the hell he endured in the past, and privately thought it was about time someone show the populace the darkness that lurked in the city.

"You can't be serious Accelerator!" Jounan yelled at him. "This isn't a matter for your pride, or about your ideas of superiority through power; this is about minimizing deaths by preventing the terrorist from killing students! You can't agree with this!"

Accelerator looked down, deep in his thoughts. When he was younger, the army had been called in to gain control over him. He fondly remembered being on a bridge, and seeing an tank company deployed, ready to take him down. He knew they weren't a threat to him, but the fact that they were forced to deploy an army against him was just proof that he wasn't, in the eyes of the city, worth letting wander freely.

He looked into Jounan's eyes, and saw that she looked sick that he was considering leaving the school to defend itself. He didn't like death, he never had, but since he couldn't be at risk, it wasn't his fight.

"I don't," Accelerator said without any anger or contempt in his voice. "However, it is simply not my place to go running around acting like a fucking hero." Jounan was about to speak, but she stopped herself, seeing it was futile.

"Very well," Jounan said. "Then stay in your dorm room then, and make sure Angelica doesn't do anything stupid, like attempt to kill the terrorist by herself." Accelerator grinned.

"Oi, I'm not your damn baby sitter, but fuck it, whatever," he said, and he headed inside. He walked past the auburn hair girl that Angelica was sleeping with and walked into the living room. He saw Angelica heading to her room.

"What are you doing Angelica?" Accelerator asked. Angelica stopped, looking at Accelerator.

"What do you think?" Accelerator glared at her.

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, now would I brat?" He saw Angelica smirk.

"I am finishing the assembly of my revolver; I managed to get the stock fabricated under a ruse while Kuroko was here, and the bullets were easy to make considering my design," Angelica said. "If those terrorist are coming today, I plan on taking them out."

Accelerator shot up from the couch, wondering how the hell Angelica heard the conversation between him and Jounan. He saw her motion to her ears.

"Remember, I'm a cyborg, and one of the things they did was improved my senses," Angelica said. "So I am finishing my revolver, and don't try and stop me." She turned and left, heading to her room.

Closing the door, Angelica grabbed the shoe box and began the final prep to her revolver. If everything went to plan, she would have around thirty rounds and be able to execute long range shots with her in about an hour. She looked at the clock, and saw it was eleven, wondering when the terrorist would make their move.

* * *

Marcus's second in command, Takai, was smiling behind his black balaclava, gripping his AK-47 tightly. He looked over to the others in his van, which was seven with him in the back, and one driver and navigator in front. He checked his watch; eleven forty-five, just another five minutes before they would begin their operations.

"Alright men, remember the goals; seize the main academy building, and draw all the attention to it, so our pals in the FRF can drive that wonderful bomb of theirs right in the midst of them and the dorm, blowing them up in a spectacular display."

Several of the men chuckled, the thought of killing so many Anti-Skill agents and even espers was extremely delightful to them. Takai meanwhile was looking forward to seeing the chaos that would undoubtedly spring forth from this.

First, he expected several nations to demand to intervene to put an end to 'a terrorist haven', thus destroying the city's independence. Next would be the outraged families demanding justice be brought to those who failed to keep their children safe. And finally, and what he wanted to see the most, was that with the high losses show that even with all their power, espers could be taken down. It would be a rallying cry for those who were down trodden by those self-indulged esper assholes.

"Alpha, this is command, come in," Marcus radioed them. Takai smiled, picking up the radio.

"This is Alpha one, we read you command," Takai said. "Are we cleared to begin operations?"

"This is command, roger that," Marcus said. "Begin your assault on the academy." Takai smiled, before turning to his men.

"Alright men, saddle up, we are going in!" Takai said, pounding the side of the van, to indicate to the driver to begin the operation.

The van, along with three others, began to charge straight at the steel gates that made up Nagatenjouki Academy's entrance. With their hardened frames and significant speed, the vans easily smashed through the gate, crashing through them.

"Go, go go!" Takai yelled, ordering his men out. His men jumped out of the van, and began firing their AK-47s at various students who tried to run to the safety of the dorm. Several fell down, being riddled with bullets before Takai got his men focused on the mission.

"Secure the academy building, and fuck the espers at the moment!" Takai roared. His men nodded, and the entered through the front door. His men entered the hall way, quickly gathering several students and staff members.

"Ren, take half the squad and secure the gym and these hostages; I plan on securing the douchebag that runs this academy!"

Ren nodded. He begins by lining the hostages and having his men shoot any that dares try anything to escape. Thankfully for them (and the terrorist), none of the hostages do anything. Takai meanwhile begins by heading up the stair well, leaving the task of floor clearing to the two other groups that are a part of Alpha.

"C'mon men," Takai began. "I want to capture Mr. Jouki Daichi and make him the first we exectute." The men following him begin to laugh. They got to the eighth floor, and noticed that the students and staff weren't up here. Takai began to think of rational reasons, but he needed to get to the tenth floor.

Getting to the stairwell, one of his men was about to step out when a series of drones came out. Unlike Anti-Skill's security drones, these appeared to be much heavier and using tracks to move about. The drones opened fire on the man with deadly precision, taking him out with a well-aimed shot from a laser to the heart.

"Take cover!" Takai yelled out. His men skidded back into the cover of the stairwell, while Takai heard the drones approaching slowly. He thought of several ways to get past them, but each one seemed less likely to work than the last. He then heard his radio squawk.

"Sir, Ren here. I am reporting that the first through fifth floor are cleared, and according to the search parties, the other floors are almost empty. We only are now encountering a few students here and there. The gym is locked down, and the efforts to prevent any forces from entering are underway. Any new orders?"

Takai paused; thinking now would be a good time to take out these drones.

"Yes, have Alpha 13 and 14 get up here with some explosives and RPGs, as my group has encountered a couple of heavily armored combat drones."

"Understood sir." The radio went silent, and Takai looked at his men.

"Fall back until the men with the explosives gets here," Taki ordered. "And when they get here, we will advance onto the eighth floor and capture." His men nod, and they fall back, hoping that the drones wouldn't be able to follow them down the stair well.

They had to wait a couple of minutes before the men came up. They were lugging an RPG each, with one rocket in the tube and three more on their back.

"We are here sir," the first rocketeer stated calmly. "Where are the drones?"

"Top of the stairs, but be careful, they have a front mounted laser that is highly accurate and deadly." Both men chuckled.

"Consider them history sir," the rocketeer muttered. He and his partner quickly ascended up the stairs, and before the drones could react, both men aimed and fired their RPG-7s.

The RPG-7 is a very cheap, simple, and reliable anti-tank weapon. Consisting of a 40mm tube, the warhead is usually either a 85mm or a 93mm HEAT grenade. Usually seen in the Middle East, Africa, and underdeveloped region due to the simplicity of the weapon, the RPG-7 was a bit overkill against these armored drones.

Both grenades impacted the drones, and instantly ripped them apart, with a copper jet penetrating through both drones and sending molten slag out a considerable distance behind them. The rocketeers snickered at the resulting explosions.

"Problem solved sir, need us to escort you to the tenth floor just in case?" the first one asked. Takai nodded. "Very well sir, we will lead on."

They continued up the stair well, and after taking out two more drones on the ninth floor, Takai and his men arrived at the tenth floor office of Mr. Jouki Daichi.

"Alright men, stack up," whispered Takai. "Let's get the jump on this asshole." His men divided into two groups, taking either side of the door. The first rocketeer placed a breaching charge on the door, and set it to go off when he pressed the detonator.

"Ready sir," he said calmly. Takai smiled at him, and motioned him to detonated the charge. His men charged into the room, spraying the room with bullets in a controlled fashion. But as the smoke and firing stopped, Takai swore loudly; Mr. Daichi wasn't in the room.

"Where the fuck is he?!" Takai growled. His men checked the room before the shrugged in ignorance. "Whatever, lets assemble back in the gym, the other's should've cleared the other floors."

After trecking down the stairs and getting past the various barricades his men had set up, Takai looked at his second Ren, who was smirking at the hostages.

"How many do we have?" Takai asked. Ren sighed.

"We have around one hundred and fifty students, and twelve teachers, including the schools PDS," Ren commented dryly. Takai smiled at the result; they had control over the building, and they had plenty of hostages to keep the city in their grip.

"Alright then, get the men ready for the arrival of Anti-Skill, and get the cameras set up, I want the whole city watching what we are capable of!" Takai ordered. Ren nodded and began shouting orders to the various other soldiers. He looked at the students and the staff, and looked forward to the confrontation with Anti-Skill, as it will give him an outlet to throw his disgust at the espers of this city.

* * *

"God damn it, where are our reinforcements?!" Yomikawa yelled, huddling behind a concrete barricade whilst trying to defend the Anti-Skill armory from the attacking terrorist. The attack began at five to noon, and according to various reports, many facilities of Anti-Skill and Judgment headquarters were under attack, and Nagatenjouki had just fallen under control of the terrorist.

"Lieutenant Yomikawa, please hold your position, we are trying to scramble units to clear each area under attack," came in Aka, Anti-Skill's intelligence officer and currently the coordinator of Anti-Skill forces. "We are responding to terrorist attack on the airfield, trying to knock out our airborne fleets. Once the airfield is lifted, we will begin sending out air support to help relive the other areas."

Yomikawa moaned; it made sense, but right now, she wanted to have boots on the ground, helping her defend the arsenal.

"Very well, this is Yomikawa out," Yomikawa said. She looked over to her fellow Anti-Skill officers. Defending the armory against ten terrorist were four other officers. Yomikawa hated her situation; she was pinned and unable to move, and the terrorist had them outnumbered.

"We aren't getting reinforcements any time soon," Yomikawa said to her officers. They all looked down in fear.

"But what are we going to do?" asked a female officer. "We can't fall back, and they are getting closer!"

"I know that!" snapped Yomikawa. She peered over the barricade, and saw the ten terrorist sprinting from cover to cover, trying to get close to the armory. She knew that if they got into the armory, then the terrorist would have more weapons and munitions then they could've feasible use.

She noticed they were splitting up, trying to flank the officers. _Like hell I will let them do that, _ she thought to herself.

"They are trying to flank us," Yomikawa said. "So take any shots you guys got on them and take them out before they do the same to us."

"Yes Yomikawa," the female officer said. The other officers nod, and began to open fire on the terrorist. Yomikawa shouldered her SG-553, and fired a burst into one of the terrorist. The bullets ripped into his chest cavity, and he dropped. The officers, with their superior training, managed to get another two down, leaving seven terrorist left.

The terrorists must've realized that their plan was failing, as they stopped trying to push on their position. Yomikawa breathed a little; at least now they knew they could keep the terrorist off of them for a minute. She began to wonder if they would be able to stop the terrorist when the barricade she was hiding behind erupted in a massive explosion.

She was thrown several feet into a ditch, and she looked at the other officers. The female officer's skull was crack, with a massive piece of rebar and concrete lodged in her skull. Blood was silently dripping. The two men with her didn't fare much better. They had both being eviscerated by several concrete chunks.

Yomikawa checked herself, and she winced as she tried to lift her left arm, and saw a piece of rebar had lodged in her shoulder. She gasped for air as she began to hear the terrorists whooping in their 'victory'.

"Fuck yeah, I knew that RPG was worth bring along!" yelled one of the terrorist. "Now all those Anti-Skill officers are dead, and we can secure all the high tech toys they have been hogging from us!"

"Don't get careless!" yelled another terrorist. "Just because the explosion destroyed their cover doesn't mean that they are out of the game just yet; check their bodies for a pulse. If they have one, put a bullet in their skull."

Yomikawa heard several of the terrorist beginning to mumble in annoyance, and Yomikawa, gritting through the pain, grabbed ahold of a SG-553, and laid as still as she could, hoping to surprise the terrorist. She continued to listen to them.

"Man, this little battle we have began is sure coming along nicely," muttered the terrorist who was excited by their success. "I wonder when the Italians will deploy that block buster of theirs; I want to see the fucking devastation that thing brings." The second grunted, clearly annoyed with the first's enthusiasm.

"Listen punk; I don't care if you think this is fun or not, but I am doing it to end the fucking esper programs in this city, nothing more and nothing less. So let's just get this job finished so we can go back to our lives."

"Aw, you're no fun, you know that?"

The terrorist stepped into the ditch, over to Yomikawa's right. She scowled as the men turned their back on her, and began laughing at the state of the female officer. Taking her chance, she aimed her rifle one handed and fired.

Both men didn't have a chance to respond as Yomikawa fired a slew of bullets into them, the wounds draining the blood from their body. As they fell, Yomikawa quickly turned to two other men, and fired at them. She landed a headshot on one of them, and lung shot the other. At this time, Yomikawa ducked back into the ditch and frantically began to reload her weapon.

She did a mental count and figured three terrorist would remain, however, leading them was the cautious one.

"Take cover men, and throw your grenades in the ditch!" he yelled to his comrades. Yomikawa then heard the clicking of grenades getting primed, forcing her to stop what she was doing and hustle on out of the ditch. She barely got five feet from it when the three grenades exploded, and threw her on the ground.

"God damn it," she moaned, and saw her rifle laid a couple meters away from her. She began to crawl to her rifle, getting to within arm's reach when a foot smashed on top of her right arm.

"You fucking bitch, did you seriously think you are going to get out of this alive?" sneered the terrorist. Yomikawa tilted her head to look down the barrel of an AK-47 and into the face of the terrorist.

"Any last words?" the terrorist mocked her. Yomikawa felt herself grow cold in fear, unable to think. The terrorist sighed in boredom. "Ah well, better put you out of your misery."

He was about to pull the trigger when he was interrupted by something that could only be explained as a massive explosion. The terrorist were thrown to the ground, and Yomikawa looked at the source of the explosion. She saw a blonde hair kid, around fourteen years old, wearing a god awful maroon shirt, walking towards them.

"What have we here, a couple of terrorist trying to kill an officer of the law?" the kid muttered. "Well we can't have this, now can we?" The terrorists, seeing the kid as the new threat, opened fire on him, only for a massive white barrier to stop all the bullets in their tracks.

"Who the hell are you?!" yelled the terrorist leader. The kid began to laugh.

"Well now, since you asked nicely, I am Kakine Teitoku, otherwise known as Dark Matter, or if you are stupid, the rank two Level 5 of the city!" Yomikawa felt a wave of terror take over her when several white wings erupted from Kakine's back.

The terrorists, not realizing the danger they were in, began to fire a hail of bullets at Kakine, hoping to land a hit on him. But his wings swept forward to shield him from the incoming fire.

"That hurts you know!" Kakine yelled sarcastically. "Maybe you want a memento of laying eyes on a Level 5; well then, how about I give you a fucking piece of art, with your bodies?!"

Kakine then leaped over the terrorist, and began using his wings as massive blades, slicing the men apart like he was a butcher in a meat shop. Yomikawa saw his wings decapitate all the terrorists' heads off their bodies, before proceeding to dismember their limbs in a violent display of his power. She felt her body shudder as she resisted the urge to throw up from the display.

Kakine turned to the blue hair woman, before landing and disassembled his wings. He walked over to her, offering his hand.

"So officer, are you glad I came to your aid?" Kakine asked smugly. Yomikawa took his hand, her body still shaking.

"Am I glad I am alive, then yes. However, I don't approve of…that," Yomikawa said, pointing to the bodies. Kakine laughed.

"Well, it isn't every day you get to go out and take down terrorists," Kakine said. "Also, I wanted to see how I could use these wings of mine in a combat situation, and I must say they worked beautifully."

Yomikawa picked up a Sg-553 and a radio, before she turned to Kakine.

"Listen Kakine, I can't have people going around taking the law into their own hands," Yomikawa said. "So am I going to have to pretty much commit suicide to get you to return to your dorm until this blows over, or will you go peacefully?"

At this, Kakine burst out laughing. He bent over, his hands clasping his knees in an effort to not fall over from laughter. He smirked at Yomikawa after a minute of laughing like a mad man.

"Ah, you get me," Kakine chuckled. "Well, to answer your question, I will head back to my dorm, only because that was where I was already heading." He began to walk off, leaving Yomikawa in a state of shock.

She radioed Aka, to tell her the state of the armory.

"Aka, this is lieutenant Yomikawa, the armory is secure, I repeat secure, however, I am the last one of my squad alive."

"God damn it," Aka muttered. "Alright, we managed to drive off the terrorist forces that were pressing on the airfield, and we have begun flight checks to start sending up air support. Also, we have a couple of armored cars loaded with Anti-Skill and battle drones coming in to assist in securing key locations. Just sit tight, a unit in en route to cover you."

Yomikawa breathed, but the sound of gun fire still rang throughout the city, and she began to wonder how long this chaos would continue.

* * *

Angelica was glaring out of her dorm room window, observing the situation that was going on inside the academy. She was trying to figure out what the terrorist were planning, and how they were going to achieve it.

She started off with observing what the opposition had and how many there were. From her guess, from the three vans and the ten men that jumped out of the van from the one she saw, she estimated there was thirty men, armed with AK-47s and she saw a couple with explosives and RPG-7s.

As she continued to observe the terrorist, she noted their behaviors. The seemed focused on taking the academy, not bothering to go after the dorm. She saw several terrorist escorting various students and staff members somewhere, and that wasn't the worse bit. The worse bit was the amount of explosives that were being laid.

The terrorist were rigging the various entrances with explosives, using nail bombs to kill anyone that attempted to get in to rescue the hostages, and there were a couple of charges that were brought in after the last of the students were being escorted. She assumed that wherever the hostages were, the terrorist were laying down bombs to kill the hostages in a fail-safe move.

She stared out into the courtyard, where there were already twelve dead students lying in a pool of their own blood. She remembered various missions where she and Marco would stumble on the handiwork of the FRF, with families, informants, or officers of the law huddled up on a wall, their blood splattering the wall. She felt disgusted at how little was being done to stop it.

She finished her revolver and bullets minutes after there was a series of explosions within the school. She loaded it six round chamber with her first bullets, and smirked as she wielded her revolver rifle. In her hand. It was a little bit longer than her AUG A2, but she was certain it would have more power.

She headed out of her room, and saw Accelerator sitting on his couch. She glared at the Level 5 for doing nothing. She knew he could've ended this before it even began, but here he was, sitting around while the academy went to hell.

"Accelerator, aren't you going to do a damn thing about this?" Angelica asked, her voice not having her usual calm and somewhat cute voice, but taking on a more venomous tone. Accelerator glared at her.

"Do you think I am going to change my fucking mind?!" Accelerator started, getting up from his couch to tower over Angelica. "Do you think you can command me?! Oh wait; you were a fucking tool, one that could be repaired whenever it was damaged! So quit acting as though you are a human; you're nothing but a fucking tool!"

Angelica felt her anger surge to a point where she wanted to raise her revolver and put a bullet right between his eyes. She gripped the handle of her revolver tightly, and Accelerator continued his rant.

"From what I gathered, you were left for dead! Instead of wasting resources burying your ass like any sane person would do, the folks at the SWA decided to use your body and modify it to become a weapon, nothing more and nothing less! I have killed my share of people, but it was always in self-defense. But you, you are death incarnate; your only purpose was to deal death!"

Angelica snapped at this outburst. She forgo all reasoning and reacted before Accelerator could even get his reflection up by grabbing his shirt collar and dragging him to the window.

"You see those bodies?!" Angelica yelled at the albino esper. "They died while trying to get away! They were shot in the back by cowards who are nothing more than petty bastards who seek to kill!" She threw Accelerator aside, and glared at his crumpled figure.

"You think you are all powerful, that the world will be bent to your fucking will?! Then why do you lazily sit on that couch of yours when you could easily end this madness? In my eyes, you are worse than those scum; they are at least fighting for some delusion, but you, you are letting death happen because it's a pain for you to do ANYTHING!"

Angelica grabbed a jacket, and quickly concealed her revolver. She shot one last look at Accelerator, who was getting up and was looking at her as though she kill someone close to him.

"I hope there is a hell for bastards like you," Angelica said. "I will be sure to drop by when we are both burning in hell for our sins." She turned and slammed the door, and began to walk to the perimeter, hoping to find a way into the academy to help get the hostages out of the academy.

As she is walking down the dorm's hallway however, Angelica could see several students in the hallways, all panicking at the sudden break in peace. She saw several crying, either because they feared for their friends or that they had lost someone when the terrorist gun downed several students. She saw a couple of students looking at her, wondering what she was doing.

She got to the stairwell and headed down, wondering what she could realistically do. She knew that if she tried to go in gun's blazing, she would wind up dead and the terrorist would probably kill some of the hostages. She however didn't have the luxury of wasting time, trying to come up with a plan. She needed to get going, and to do something.

She was in the dorm's parking lot, and saw several armored cars equipped with side skirts and ARENA defense systems, with several well-armed men and women in black body armor. While a passerby might've thought it was a separate unit of Anti-Skill, Angelica knew these weren't a police force, but rather a Special Forces strike force. She hugged the cars, hoping to get past them without being noticed.

She crept along, using the cars as cover. She was nearing the entrance the van had smashed through when she heard a voice that sounded familiar, but one she didn't recognize at the same time.

"So, is the Academy surrounded?" the voice asked. Taking a risk, Angelica saw a man that she recognize from her memories and one that Accelerator was able to identify for her; Kihara Amata. He was talking to a man in black body armor.

"Yes sir, we have surrounded the academy, and we have picked up the locations of most of their bombs using the modified olfactory sensor. It appears that most of the bombs are located down hallways leading to the gym, where we picked up a number of signatures, suggesting that is where the terrorists are holding the students."

"I see," muttered Kihara. "Well, until we get the green light from the Board of Directors, we aren't to move in, merely contain the situation until either the leadership of the attack has been taken out or the situation changes in which we must move in."

Angelica began to wonder why a scientist was leading an group of soldiers; shouldn't they be led by someone with actual military or even police experience? But she saw Amata entered the command vehicle.

"Right, have you sent everyone in the unit the information with regards to where the bombs are?" Amata asked. The soldier nodded.

"Yes sir, they should have them in their PDAs," the soldier replied. Amata sighed.

"Damn, I would prefer being away from here and observing the first deployment of the HsAFH-11," Amata muttered. The soldier smiled, causing Angelica to wonder what it was.

"The Six Wing is being deployed?" The soldier asked. Amata nodded.

"Yeah, they are going to clean the terrorist attacks that are occurring elsewhere. Those things will clean the terrorist up in a minute if given the chance."

Angelica began to mute their conversation out, and quickly used a moment when both men weren't looking to sprint to the next set of cars quietly, only to end up behind two more of the soldiers. However, remembering about the bombs and the PDA, used this problem to get information.

As soon as one of the soldiers moved on, Angelica grabbed the second and quickly began to choke him. He tried to struggle, to free himself, but Angelica was overpowering him. He soon slipped into a state of unconsoicueness and took his PDA. She slipped it into her pocket, and began to head to the back of the academy.

She got to an area where there weren't any soldiers looking in her direction, and was beginning to read through the PDA to find out where the bombs where when she heard a bit of noise on the other side of the wall that was in front of her.

"Oi, get your ass up that wall," ordered a woman, who if Angelica had to guess, was a few years older than her.

"But, I won't be able to use my pistol," whined a girl with a French accent. The older girl clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, I don't care, I need someone to make sure there isn't anyone observing us so I can get the others across safely."

"Fine," muttered the French girl. Angelica gripped her revolver, getting ready for whatever was in store for her.

Frenda hated being the point man on this operation; she was chosen due to her quaint knowledge of terrorist operations and knowing how terrorist would lay out booby traps would be crucial for their success. She hated how their employer told them to get to Nagatenjouki to help lift the siege by any means, and to currently ignore their bounty hunting.

_Yeah, send the non-esper over the wall, where she can't get her pistol out in a hurry if there are, oh, I don't know, terrorist armed to the teeth with enough firepower to take on anything Anti-Skill could deploy,_ thought Frenda as she scaled over the wall.

She was facing the wall when she felt a hand clasp over her mouth, and felt cold steel shoved to the base of her skull. Frenda began to squirm when she heard a voice next to her ear.

"Who are you, what are you doing here, and whatever you do, don't you dare scream or I will end your life," the voice commanded. It was that of a girl her age, with an Italian accent. Frenda was fairly certain she knew who it was, but at the moment, she wasn't at a luxury to pull that card out.

"I'm Frenda and I can't exactly say why I am here," she said weakly. "Please don't kill me."

She then heard Mugino tap the wall, waiting for a response impatiently. Frenda tried to turn her head, but the barrel was shoved harder.

"Look, I have to tell my other mates that it is clear, please, I am not up to anything bad," Frenda pleaded, not wanting to get spanked by Mugino later. She heard a sigh.

"Fine, but if they try anything, I will personally kill them all," the person said. Frenda nodded. She felt herself released and she tapped the wall, saying it was safe. Frenda backed up to the wall, where she saw Angelica in her school uniform, standing there with a long barrel revolver rifle.

"You will want to back away from the wall," Frenda urged Angelica, who gave her a death glare. _Okay, note to self, don't warn the cyborg lest I want to lose my life. _Frenda watched as Mugino melted through the wall, and walked through, looking at Frenda, clearly annoyed.

"What took you…" Mugino then saw Angelica raising her revolver. "Oh, I see. Nice meeting you cyborg." Frenda could've sworn the air froze as Angelica glared at Mugino.

"How the hell do you know about that?" spat Angelica out, clearly pissed off. Mugino chuckled.

"Oh, a friend of mine got ahold of your medical records," Mugino said, clearly ignoring the fact that Angelica was pissed and had a revolver in her hands. "It is surprising they would leave your medical records out in the open where anyone could look into them."

Angelica grew red in the face, and Frenda didn't know if she should try and run or hide someway if the cyborg and Mugino got into a fight. Mugino smiled in spite of the cyborg, and motioned the others to come through. Frenda saw Angelica wanting to strangle Saiai upon seeing her.

"You fucking rat," Angelica seethed, and Frenda knew that her task was going to be made impossible if Mugino kept pushing Angelica's buttons. Mugino looked at Angelica, a sneer on her face.

"Well, yes, Saiai did get the information, but it wasn't like she had to break in to get it, she waltz right in a took it," Mugino said. "However, Saiai, Frenda, Rikou, and I are busy, so please, go back to your dorm and wait this siege out."

Frenda however saw Angelica wasn't going to budge so easily.

"I don't think so," Angelica said, and put the bullet straight to Mugino's face. Mugino quickly created four balls of plasma and aimed that at Angelica.

"You think you can stop me, the rank four Level 5 of this city, with a petty revolver?" Mugino asked, her arrogance rubbing off on Angelica's demeanor. Frenda knew someone had to defuse the situation, so to say, she looked around the corner, and saw several spec-ops soldiers standing guard of the academy, trying to keep anyone from getting in and stopping the terrorirst. She knew that if they began a fight, it would get noisy and attract a lot of unwanted attention.

"You two, please knock it off, there is a bit of spec-ops soldiers just around the corner. So please, can we just end this siege quickly and go about our lives?" Angelica and Mugino looked towards her, and they both sighed.

"I will agree, so long as you drop your revolver," Mugino said. Angelica lowered her revolver.

"Very well," Angelica said. She looked at Mugino. "So you are here to end this siege; might I ask how?" Mugino chuckled.

"Can't tell you anything, unless…" Mugino left her sentence hanging, and Frenda knew she was being given a simple chance that didn't involve a ton of explaining.

"Angelica, if you joined ITEM, then we could tell you what we are planning and you could help take out the terrorist," Frenda said. She knew that Angelica's singular concern was taking out the terrorist, so appealing to things like pride, honor, and compassion was a waste of time.

Angelica paused, considering the offer. While she was certain it would mean forgoing a normal life, she didn't have one, not since the SWA. The words Accelerator bored into her were ringing in her head. She hated how right he was; she was a tool, a tool whose purpose was to kill and nothing else.

"Very well," Angelica muttered. "Anything I should know?" Mugino smiled at Frenda, glad that the situation worked to their advantage.

"For now, you aren't a member of ITEM, but once this mission is over, we will get word out to our employeer and take care of the details," Mugino began. "But as of now, you obey my orders, and my word is final, got that?"

"Crystal," Angelica said. "So how about you tell me what the plan is, or are you guys winging it?" Mugino looked at Angelica with a look of disappointment.

"C'mon, you think we don't have a plan?" Mugino asked condescendingly. "The plan is simple, I cut a whole straight through the school, we kill any terrorist that get in our way, and we get the hostages out. There isn't anything else we need to do, now is there?"

Frenda was about to nod when Angelica face palmed herself.

"You can't simply blast your way through the school; there are a plethora of bombs that the terrorist have laid down," Angelica started. "So if we are going to get the hostages out, we need to deal with those bombs first, and secondly, the hostages are being held in a gym, with the terrorist lining that with bombs and they have some of their own intermingled with the hostages. So going in guns-blazing will only result in massive causalities."

"So what would you suggest then Angelica?" Mugino muttered. Frenda saw Angelica pull out her PDA, and pointed to several locations.

"These are the bombs, and these are probably barricades," Angelica said. "If we can find a path that bypasses them, we can then figure out a better plan of attack and one that keeps casualties to a minimum."

Mugino rubbed her chin, seeing the usefulness of already having the cyborg on her team. She looked over to Saiai and Rikou, who were remaining quiet.

"You two, I want you on me, and we will forge a path through the school that gets us as close to the gym as possible," Mugino began. "Angelica, Frenda, you guys got bomb disposal." Frenda nodded; if these terrorist didn't have any skill, then the bombs should be easy to dispose of. Angelica sighed; bomb disposal was a pain in the ass of a task.

Mugino was about to cut a whole in the side of the building when Angelica shook her head quietly. While pointing at a nearby window, Angelica put down a strip of thermite on the widnow sill, and ignited it. Within a few seconds, the window popped out, and Angelica crawled in the window.

"That was less super suspicious than what you were planning," Saiai commented to Mugino. Mugino clicked her tongue again.

"Shut up, I would've cut through that wall like it was butter," Mugino said. Angelica sighed.

"You were going to cut into a load bearing wall, so you would've only destroyed the side of the building," Angelica pointed out. Saiai chuckled while Mugino glared at the young cyborg.

"Fine, you got me there, but next time, simply point that out to me," Mugino said. They all crawled into what was the staff's break room. "Alright, Angelica, if Rikou, Saiai, and I are going to get to the gym, what would be the best path?"

Angelica looked at the map of the academy as provided by the PDA. There were only two paths on this level, but both were barricaded. But Angelica knew that due to gym's secondary purpose of being used for SYSTEM Scans, there was an observation deck on the second floor. She checked the PDA to see if there was anyone there, and it seemed like it wasn't.

"Your best bet is to go to the second floor, then head straight to the observation deck, which will overlook the gym," Angelica said. "What you can do there I don't know, but still, it's better than trying to go by the first floor."

Mugino nodded.

"Good, from up there I can take out several terrorist, and we can plan out how we can get the hostages out," Mugino said. "But can you guys clear a hall way out so we can, when it's time, extract all the hostages out of the building?"

Frenda and Angelica looked at the PDA, judging which hallway would be the easiest. The one leading to the front entrenace was the shortest, but it had the most barricades and bombs. The one leading to the rear was much longer, but it had half the barricades and a quarter less bombs.

"Yeah, we should be able to, so long as the bombs aren't anything special," Frenda commented. "Angelica, can you cover me while I take care of the bombs?"

"Sure," Angelica said. Mugino smiled.

"Alright then, let's get to our jobs," Mugino said. ITEM dispersed, heading to their objectives. But the chaos of the attack was already beginning to make its way overseas.

* * *

"_Currently, officials in Academy City are expecting casualties to be in the hundreds, as well armed terrorist launched a massive attack," _a news reporter said to the camera. _"While the exact goals of the attack are unknown, it is known that Nagatenjouki Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the city, is currently in a state of siege."_

"_The terrorist began their attack five minutes to noon Japanese time, beginning the siege. Following the start of the siege, several well-orchestrated attacks aimed at law enforcement headquarters and military compounds in the city began. While the city is in lockdown to prevent any more terrorist getting into the city or getting out, city officials have stated that they intend to stamp out the terrorist threat, and hope to end the attack within a couple of days."_

Pieri turned the television off, and looked at Jean, who was trying to remain calm, but he wasn't fooling anyone; he was feeling very shitty about the situation.

"Jean, you said you convinced a small FRF team to go after Angelica, not an entire terror cell," Pieri said sternly. Jean nodded.

"I did sir, but they must've…" Pieri slammed the table in anger.

"If Academy City learns of our involvement with this attack, not only are we looking at getting shutdown, but Italy might wind up in a war with Academy City!" Jean began to sweat visibly, knowing that Pieri was correct.

While war between Italy and Academy City seemed laughable, the city's espers and the thirty year tech gap meant that even though they had severely limited resources in terms of manpower, they could more than make up for it with devastating first strike capabilities.

But what was worse was that if it seemed the Italian government was involved with the attack, it would bring sympathy towards Academy City, most notable from the US and her allies, in particular Britain. While the Italian government refused to touch on the subject of the city state, most in the high level positions were in agreement that the city was trouble. So the city getting two of the five nations most likely to win a World War Three on its side was something the Italians didn't need to have happen.

"Jean, this is your mess, so if you fuck this up, it will be your mess to clean up," Pieri threatened. Jean thought he was going to have a heart attack at the announcement. He knew what it meant; he would be the fall guy, the guy the government would blame as a rogue element trying to destabilize the world for his own gains.

"Sir, there isn't any evidence that could track back to the SWA," Jean said, albeit with significantly less confidence then before. Pieri continued to glare at him, but he sighed.

"If that is so, then there isn't anything to worry about. However, I want to be certain that Academy City doesn't have any ammunition to come at us with, is that understood?"

"Of course sir," Jean said. "What would you propose?" Pieri rubbed his chin, thinking about his options. He had a couple standard options; using the fratellos to kill any leaks, temporarily shutting down operations to make people think they disappeared, etc. But Pieri remembered meeting with some people, well really one person, before the start of the fratellos, who offered to give the cyborgs a means to counter anything that the FRF could throw at them.

Pieri opened a drawer and began trying to find the contact information the man gave him. He began to speak to Jean.

"Jean, how quick to learn is Rico?" Pieri asked. Jean, not understanding the context, replied honestly.

"Faster than most of the cyborgs, however, she does require a strict hand; she is too joyful at times to pay attention," Jean replied. He could understand Rico's joy; she had been bed ridden her entire life until the SWA took her from her family and gave her the liberty of movement.

"Very well," Pieri muttered, and he finally found the information he was looking for. "I want Rico to be ready for some special training sessions with a person I trust." Jean sighed.

"By trust do you really mean someone who is useful and can keep their mouth shut?" Jean asked. Pieri nodded. Jean sighed and quietly left, while Pieri made his call. It rang two times before someone answered.

"Ah, I see you have decided to take up my offer," said a slightly arrogant man. "How long has it been, one, maybe two years since I made that offer?"

Pieri sighed, forgetting that the man was very arrogant in the way a winner is arrogant.

"It has been about two years," Pieri confirmed. "But you must've seen the mess that is occurring in Academy City…" The man on the line chuckled.

"Ah yes, the terrorist uprising, it makes the attacks the FRF does look pathetic, now doesn't it?" the man asked. "But no matter, I assume you are calling to ask for my, what shall we call it, expertise?"

Pieri nodded instinctively.

"Yes, though the reason is that one of the cyborgs the SWA uses has fallen into less than stellar hands," Pieri said. The man sighed, fuming as he knew whose hand got the cyborg.

"Tell me, how long has the city had a hold of the cyborg?"

"About a month, give or take a few days," Pieri muttered. The man took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

"So, I assume the terrorist attack was a indirect result of you trying to keep your tech out of the city's hands? If so, that was really fucking stupid of you to do so," the man said condescendingly. "But never mind, how many of the cyborgs do you want me to train?"

Pieri tapped his fingers on his desk, considering sending more cyborgs to be trained. But he couldn't have too many off the frontlines; he lost Angelica, Claes had no handler, and with Rico being sent off for training purposes, that left only a handful of cyborgs to fight the FRF.

"I can only spare a single cyborg at the moment," Pieri finally said. "However, how long will it be until she is completed with her training?" The man on the line chuckled.

"Well, we could do a rush job and have her back on the frontlines in say three months, however, if one of your cyborgs is in Academy City, it is likely she is going through their esper program, so to combat that, at least a couple of years," the man said. "But trust me, when your cyborg gets back to the fight, next to no one will be able to take her on."

"Very well," Pieri said. "When will she begin her training, and where?" The man sighed.

"The sooner the better," the man said. "Have your man drop the cyborg off at St. Peter's Basilica within the week. My associates and I will handle her training, so no need for your man to stay around." With that, the line went dead, leaving Pieri to lean back in his chair, and he turned the news on, watching as reports streamed in from Academy City.

"The hell have I gotten myself into?" Pieri asked himself, and he didn't know the hell he had dragged himself into.

* * *

**Author's Notes: And this chapter begins the explosive and bloody plan the FRF terrorist and their Skill-Out brethren had planned. Thus I have a big announcement to make.**

**After careful thinking and consideration with where I want to take this story, I am bumping the rating from 'T' to an 'M'. This is because of the more violent depcitions in my fight scenes and the later 'lemons' I want to include in the story. So that explains why the story is getting an M rating.**

**Now onto the reviews;**

**-Triser: Yeah, everything is starting to go boom. It will calm down within a few chapters, but for now, the terrorist attacks are precedent. **

**Well, that is all I have to say, but I heard that a big announcement with regards to TAMNI is coming out today. Since I suck at finding information on the internet, would someone kindly please explain what the announcement is once it is done? Thank you.**

**And as always, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	10. Chapter 9: Siege of Nagatenjouki, Part 2

Chapter 9: Siege of Nagatenjouki, Part 2

* * *

Takai was standing with his AK-47 cradled in his arms, waiting for his men to report in to his so he can begin the real goal of this siege; to give the Italian FRF soldiers the time to take out the cyborg and to cripple Academy City.

"This is Kai, the Southern hallway is barricaded and secured."

"This is Shinden, my squad is on the upper floors, waiting to take out any enemy birds out of the sky."

"This is Rei, the Northern hallway is also secured, awaiting Anti-Skill to do something stupid."

Takai chuckled, the school was effectively secure and the hostages were now under his command. He turned to Ren, who was finishing setting up the cameras.

"How are those cameras coming along?" Takai asked. "I want to make an example of some of the staff, to scare off the parents to prevent the birth of anymore espers."

"Cameras are now on, just needed to get it live and to get it aired," Ren said. He was interrupted by an incoming message from Takai's radio.

"This is Takai, what is it?"

"Ah, Takai, is the academy secure?" Marcus asked.

"Yes sir," Takai said. "Currently Anti-Skill is on the grounds, yet they are merely containing us. I think now would be a good time for the Italians to send in their package." He heard Marcus sigh.

"I would agree, however, the distractions around the city are beginning to fail," Marcus informed Takai. "The airport has been retaken by Anti-skill, and from all reports, they are about to begin a massive air operation to relieve the other areas. The armory, which only a small unit was sent, has been secured and thus access to heavier weapons ultimately failed. So expect that within the hour that our other forces go into hiding, and having the entire might of Judgment and Anti-skill on top of you."

"I understand sir," Takai said. "The cameras are ready, so I am about to send a live message to the city, and begin the siege proper." He heard Marcus laugh.

"You enjoy the spotlight; the more Anti-skill and Judgment officers are there, the better for us." The radio call was ended, and Takai strode over to the camera, where Ren was standing.

"Everything is good to go, are you ready sir?" Ren said. Takai nodded.

"Of course, but now, who to chose?" Takai mused softly. He looked out to the sea of hostages, and saw the PDS Jounan sitting quietly, trying to calm a couple of the younger students. He was severly tempted to chose her, but something made him reconsider. If the cyborg was already imprinted on her, then killing her would cause the cyborg to fly off the handle and begin spilling blood for the blood lost.

He then decided on a male telepathic esper, who was glaring at him definitely. _He will make a prime example for those watching, _he thought to himself. He motioned Ren to grab him, and bring him into the room where they had set up for the 'live interview'. Takai walked in, where four men were standing, all armed with AK-47s and smiling at his entrance.

"It's time we got the show on the road," Takai said. And two of the terrorist got behind the camera, while the other two and Ren stood over the young esper.

"What's going on?" demanded the telepath, who was looking at the guns with a bit of anxiety. Takai shrugged, not caring of the esper's fate.

"For you, not much, but for the city, a whole lot," Takai stated. "But as of now, I have a bit of a notice to give."

Takai turned to the cameras, with the two terrorist giving a countdown.

"We are live in 3, 2, 1." Takai smiled; the true nature of the siege had begun.

"Hello citizens of Academy City," Takai began his voice crisp and clear. "As you no doubt know by now, but your precious little city has been thrown into chaos. About one hour ago, several attacks were inittated, with the goal of taking out the city's defenses and power base. Now, while these outer attacks are well known, with large firefights occurring, what you may not have known is that we have taken control of Nagatenjouki Academy."

"We have one hundred and sixty two hostages, including this young man here. Now young man, what is your name and what is your ability?" The young man swallowed what little liquid was in his throat.

"My name is Kaz, Ryu Kaz," the young esper began. "I am a Level 3 telepathic." Takai nodded.

"Indeed you are," he said coldly, before pulling out a Makarov Pistol, putting it to Kaz's, and pulling the trigger. Blood and brains spilled out of both the entry and exit hole, and Kaz slumped over, bloody staining the floor. His eyes were filled with pure shock and terror at the last moments of his life. Takai wiped the barrel of his pistol before turning back to the camera.

"As of now, every fifteen minutes, another hostage will be executed. We will begin with the children, as they are the products, these espers, we wish to extinguish. The only way to stop this senseless killing will be to follow our demands, and they are as followed."

"First, the esper program, sometimes called the PCP, must be banned. Second, all espers must be regulated and tracked at all times by the ICC as they are all walking criminals and a threat to those without any power to defend themselves. Third, the Board of Director's for this city must be arrested and tried for the crimes of human experimentation, human rights violations, and nothing short of life imprisonment will satisfy us. Finally, any esper that refuses to be regulated must be executed."

Takai silently knew that these demands will never be listen too, but it didn't matter; the result was that the city would look bad and the esper development would slow down as international outrage over this incident would occur.

"You have, as of now, roughly forty hours to comply," Takai said. "Take care now. See you in fifteen minutes."

Takai walked out of sight of the camera, with the other terrorist grinning. He hoped that the cyborg was killed quickly, and that the Italians had that bomb of theirs ready.

* * *

Angelica and Frenda jumped at the sound of a gunshot ringing out in the hallways. Angelica stopped Frenda from walking forward, while peering around a hallway. She wanted to make sure that someone wasn't away from the barricades.

"What was that?" Frenda asked hesitantly. Angelica shrugged.

"It could be that the terrorist have stated their demands and shown what they are willingly to do," Angelica said. "Alright, it appears no one is down the hallway, let's move."

Frenda felt herself shudder, knowing what Angelica meant. The terrorist were now killing hostages, and that meant that the clock was ticking. They had to act, and quickly.

"So Angelica, does this mean we forgo stealth and go in charging?" Frenda asked. Angelica shook her head.

"No, but it does mean we have to start taking out terrorist, and quickly," Angelica said. "Mugino, Saiai, and Rikou are trusting we can take care of the bombs and clear a path." Frenda nodded.

"Alright, but how can we take out the terrorist without them killing the hostages?" Frenda asked. Angelica peered around another corner, before she sighed.

"Hey, Frenda, how clumsy are you?" Angelica asked. Frenda raised an eyebrow, curious how that questioned pertained to her own.

"Well, not that clumsy, why-" Frenda didn't get to finish her question when Angelica pushed her into the hallway, were behind three sets of barricades were a total of nine terrorists.

"Hey you there!" yelled one of the terrorists. "Stop right there; you are coming with us!"

Frenda was about to curse at Angelica when she saw Angelica motioning her to run. It clicked; Angelica was going to use Frenda as bait, and take out the terrorist from behind while Frenda lead them on a goose chase.

She ran straight ahead, ignoring the terrorists.

"After her!" yelled one of the terrorist. Frenda saw all six of the nine terrorist leave their position to give chase to her. She cursed that the plan hadn't worked quite as well as she thought Angelica thought. Angelica couldn't take care of the six terrorist without dealing with the three in the hallway.

But Frenda had bigger concerns, as the terrorist were hot on her heels. She ran, wishing she had brought some det-tape and some of her bombs. That way while she ran she could set up traps and take out some of the terrorists. She however only brought a FN 5.7 pistol, but thankfully it had a suppressor, which she could use to 'quietly' take out the terrorists, but still, if they were paying attention, they would know she was armed.

She ran up a flight of stairs, and attempted to lead the terrorist into Mugino, who she was frantically trying to get a message to. She cursed that her phone was being uncooperative at the moment, insisting to correct her spelling mistakes.

"Fucking just send the message!" she hissed to her phone, and after that rude comment it finally complied. She ran into a classroom, needing a second to catch her breath. She wasn't used to running, in fact, if she ran, it usually was because she fucked up and her target had managed to get past her bombs.

"Where could she have gone?" growled a terrorist. Frenda felt herself holding in her breath, not wanting to attract the attention of the terrorists.

"Fuck if I know," muttered another. "Let's recheck each classroom, it's most likely she is hiding."

"Fair enough," the first one said. "Let's split into two groups and quickly find her." Frenda heard as the terrorists split off and began searching the various classrooms, intent on finding her and dragging her off with the other hostages.

Frenda's phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and she quickly checks it.

-_Be there in a sec, Mugino _

Frenda sighs, glad that the Level 5 she grew attached to was coming to bail her out of Angelica's rash plan. But before she could rejoice at the thought of Mugino tearing apart the terrorists to save her, a group of three terrorists walks into her classroom.

"You think she is in here?" muttered one of them, kicking at the desks. Frenda watched from her place under the teacher's desk.

"Probably," mused another. "We haven't heard any more running when we got to the second floor, and she certainly wasn't running that far, not in those high heels."

The terrorists kept pushing over desks, trying to ensure that they hadn't missed any hiding places. The first terrorist was now in the row right in front of the teacher's desk, and Frenda was about to panic as he walked to the desk when she heard from the floor below erupt in gunfire.

"What the hell?!" yelled the first terrorist. "Are they really pushing into the school?!" The three terrorists began to panic, and were about to rush out of the classroom when Frenda decided to take them out.

Popping up from her desk, she raised her 5.7 pistol and quickly unloaded the fifteen round magazine into the three terrorists. The bullets riddled their backs, and they began to slump to the ground into a bloody mess. She smiled at her handiwork, when she looked at the door and saw the other three terrorist's with their guns raised and pointing at her.

"Fuck my life," Frenda swore, and she dived to cover as the terrorists began spraying into the classroom. Frenda frantically tried to reload her pistol while crawling to cover, but the terrorists were firing bullets around her, making it hard to concentrate.

She knew that in her situation, she was fucked. Her 5.7 only had fifteen shots before a reload, and with the three terrorists and their AK-47s, they could fire a total of ninety rounds before a reload, and with automatic fire as well.

She managed to reload her pistol, and began firing around the corner blindly, hoping to make them seek cover. She emptied the magazine, only to hear the terrorists laughing their asses off.

"Fucking dumb blonde bitch!" roared a terrorist. "Doesn't she know she can't hit shit doing that?"

"I don't think so!" laughed another. "She was just hitting the wall!" Frenda swore at her stupidity; she should've risked getting hit to ensure her shots were on target. The terrorist kept the fire up, when Frenda heard a much welcome voice.

"Oi, you idiots insulting my friend?" Mugino said calmly. "Well, let's see how well you shot with only an arm left!" Frenda heard the sizzle in the air as Mugino fired her plasma at the terrorist, followed by an ear wrenching scream.

"OH MY GOD!" screamed a terrorist. "MY FUCKING ARM!" Frenda reloaded her pistol and quickly stepped out of cover, and saw Mugino standing over the three terrorists, who were clutching at the stumps that were their arms. The wounds, against the common idea that they would be sealed by the heat, were bleeding profusely, and the hallway was being stained with blood.

"Thanks Mugino," Frenda said, stepping over the three terrorists she killed. "They saw me take out their 'comrades'." Mugino chuckled.

"Well, at least we managed to take out six terrorists," Mugino said. "That leaves another twenty-four to go." Frenda fired three shots into the terrorists' skulls, ending their misery.

At this point, Frenda noticed the gunfire from below had ceased. She was about to suggest to Mugino that they hide when she saw Angelica walk up the stairs, looking extremely miffed.

"What happened?" Mugino asked, her voice indicating she was pissed. "What happened to stealth?"

"Well, from where we were, I thought I could use Frenda to draw the terrorists away from their barricades, and while they were out searching for her, kill them from behind one by one," Angelica said. "However, that failed with three wisely decided to stay behind to cover the south entrance hallway."

"And I assume the gunfire from below was your own doing?" Mugino asked. Angelica nodded.

"I managed to kill all three terrorists rather quickly, however, there is a slight problem," Angelica said. "The bombs in the hallway, they aren't any overly complex, mainly using either a tripwire or a remote detonator to go off. But the problem is that none of the terrorist I took down had the detonator, and I think it probably is using a dead man's switch."

A dead's man switch is when the detonator is pair with someone's life. Usually, it involves the person holding the detonator down, so when they are shot, they release the pressure, the bomb goes off. Another method is to connect the bomb to a heart monitor, so if the person flat lines, the bombs goes off. In all, it is to prevent anyone from killing the man with the detonator.

"Well, that's fucking great," mutter Mugino. "So who would most likely have the detonator?" Frenda and Angelica, knowing the answer.

"Probably the guy organizing this attack," Frenda said. "He is also probably amongst the hostages, so that if he dies, he not only kills the hostages, but also those trying to rescue them."

Mugino glared at them both, before sighing.

"Alright, so can you disarm the bombs in the hallway?" Mugino asked. Angelica nodded. "Fine, then I am going to head back to Rikou and Saiai so we can figure out how to take down the head terrorist without alerting them further and without the bombs going off."

Frenda and Angelica headed back to the hallway, with Angelica reloading her revolver.

"So Angelica, how do you think we should deal with these bombs?" Frenda asked as they got to the hallway. Angelica took cover behind one of the barricades aiming down the hallway to make sure none of the terrorists interfered.

"I say cut the trip wires and then get some liquid nitrogen and dump it on the detonator," Angelica said. She knew that liquid nitrogen would freeze the bomb's electronics, and thus prevent it from going off. It was more of a time buying solution, but it was better than leaving them open to being triggered by the dead man's switch.

"I agree," Frenda said, and with Angelica covering her, Frenda began the delicate task of bomb defusal. Little did they know the show stopper was en route.

* * *

Victor and Karl were sitting in the observation car, watching the soldiers surrounding the academy. Both could tell from their equipment and stance that these weren't Anti-Skill, but rather Special Forces. Victor grumbled as he called Martin, who was in the bomb truck.

"Martin, this is Victor, we have a problem."

"What is it now?" Martin asked.

"The soldiers around the academy are not, repeat, are not, Anti-Skill or Judgment. These appear to be some kind of Special Forces."

"God damn it!" yelled Martin. "I am sitting on top of four thousand pound bomb here, so what do you want me to do, suicide bomb the dorms?"

Victor sighed; due to the change in opposition, their armored car wouldn't be able to sneak in and Martin couldn't get out without alerting the soldiers. Thus he would need to break through their lines.

But Victor didn't want to lose another comrade needlessly. He looked over to Karl.

"Karl, what have we got with us?" Victor asked. Karl rubbed his chin, looking at the back seat.

"Let's see, we have two SG-553 assault rifles, couple of magazines for them, a few M67 grenades, and finally, courtesy from our friends, a Ks-23 shotgun."

Victor chuckled, quickly coming up with a plan. He and Karl would distract the soldiers, while Martin got the bomb car to the dorms and left the area. They would back away when the bomb exploded, taking out the dorm where they were certain the cyborg would be holed up in.

"Martin, Karl and I are going to distract the soldiers for you, to buy you times to park the car and get the hell out of there," Victor said. "Karl, take the Sg-553, I am taking the Ks-23."

Karl nodded, and Victor grabbed the large shotgun. The Ks-23 was a Russian pump action shotgun, with a 23mm bore that, when loaded with buckshot, had the same potential killing power as a claymore mine. Victor loaded the shells quickly, before he got out of the car with Karl, who had his SG-553 at the ready.

Victor walked to within five meters of the Academy grounds before he began his attack. He raised his shotgun to the shoulder, and took aim at one of the soldiers and promptly fired the massive shotgun. The soldier was blown to pieces, as the pellets ripped apart his upper body. A soldier standing next to him tried to turn around, but Karl fired a control burst, aiming for the upper body. He too fell, but Karl and Victor picked up their pace, getting to the wall, where the other soldiers hearing the exchange of gunfire, began to take cover.

"Karl, throw a grenade at those guys!" Victor barked out, pointing to a group of four soldiers that were taking cover behind a couple of the trees. Karl chuckled, and he threw the grenade right between the two trees. As the soldiers tried to run away, Victor and Karl gunned them down, with the grenade finishing them off.

"This is too easy!" Victor joke, but by then Hound Dog began to step their game up. While the soldiers in front of the school were busy keeping Victor's and Karl's attention, some of the soldiers in the back began to form up and began to run around the school wall. In addition, the Hound Dog soldiers began laying effective fire on their position.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?!" yelled Karl. He fired another burst from his rifle, gunning a soldier down, whose blood splattered on Kihara Amta's lab coat. Amata glared at the two terrorist, wondering what the hell they were up to. He glanced at a Hound Dog soldier, who was standing around doing jack shit with a Panzerfaust.

"You there give me your fucking rocket launcher and pick up this trash's rifle!" Amata spat out. The soldier quickly nodded, picking the rifle up and handing Amata the Panzerfaust. Amata then saw the terrorist were keeping the front gate open, to which he realized they were waiting for back up. He groaned; how much shit will he have to put up with.

"You three, get to the gate and close it!" Amata yelled. "They are trying to get reinforcements over here!" The Hound Dog soldiers, under covering fire by the others, tried to rush the gate house, in a desperate measure to close the gate. But as they got close to it, a rocket from the academy slammed into the gate house and exploded, killing the soldiers.

Amata, pissed off that now the gate was permanently open, turned to the Academy, raised the Panzerfaust, and fired from where the rocket came from. The warhead he had on was a thermobaric warhead, designed to create an intense pressure and heat wave, which was effective for clearing out tunnels and buildings. The rocket smashed into the 7th floor, and a massive fireball engulfed the floor, sending a couple of the terrorist flying out of the window to their deaths.

Victor and Karl, who saw the explosion and were now pinned down, growled in anger.

"Argh, the plan is falling apart!" Victor yelled. "When is Martin getting here?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Karl snapped back. "But it doesn't matter now, now does it?" Victor saw behind Karl a group of ten hound Dog soldiers.

"Shit, get down Karl!" Victor yelled, and as the German hit the deck, Victor fired as fast as he could at the ten soldiers. He watched as his shells ripped apart easily four men, but the other six aimed with deadly precision. They fired their rifles at Victor, all their rounds hitting center chest, and Victor felt his lung ripped apart from the fragmentation rounds they were using. He fell on his back, cursing them.

Karl, who had recovered from his move, turned around and sprayed his magazine, with most of his bullets hitting the other six soldiers.

"Ficken arschlöchers!" Karl yelled, and he primed another grenade and threw it around the corner at a group of the soldiers, who were forced out of cover. He was about to reload his rifle when he saw Amata standing in front of him, kicking him in the face.

"How does that feel bitch?" Amata chuckled. Karl saw the Sg-553 lying away from him, so he tried to scramble to it, but Amata reacted first, by landing a kick to Karl's gut.

"You aren't getting that rifle, you piece of shit," Amata said. "Now then, how about I kill you and be over with your life now?"

Karl reacted by grabbing a hold of Amata's leg and trying to throw him down. However, Amata was more nimble than the German thought, and quickly freed his leg while going into a roll to get quickly upright. Karl used this time to get to his feet and grab his knife, charging at Amata.

He thrust the knife at Amata, who continued to back step him, easily dogding the thrusts.

"This is pathetic," Amata said calmly. "You are worse than the asshole I taught a few years back!" Amata quickly stepped to the outside of Karl's thrust and landed a right hook into Karl's face.

"He at least had the flair to throw objects at me, to manipulate vectors to try and kill me, but you are just pitiful; how the hell did you ever become a soldier of the GSG-9?"

Amata then grabbed Karl's arms, breaking the wrist that was holding the knife. He grabbed a hold of the knife and stabbed Karl in the base of the skull, ending the German's life instantly. He watched as the body fell, and began to laugh.

"Oh my god, was that all you fucking had?!" Amata spluttered out. "I have had more interesting fights than that with kids a third your fucking age." He sighed, and was about to head back to the command vehicles when a large Anti-Skill armored car came barreling down the road, and headed straight for the Academy. Amata froze, and idea coming to his mind.

"Well, that academy is going to have a shit ton of renovation coming it's way," Amata said as he dived into a ditch to take cover from what he thought would be the inevitable explosion. He however didn't know one thing, a certain esper had ran out of coffee.

* * *

"Fucking bitch, what does she hope to accomplish?" Accelerator muttered at the fridge, still fuming about Angelica's rant from earlier. He opened it and saw that he had ran out of his ice coffee.

"Argh, why must I run out now?" mused Accelerator. "It is going to be a bitch to explain to the soldiers why I am leaving. Oh well, at least I won't have to worry about bullets; fucking pathetic devices don't hold water to my reflection."

Accelerator began to head out of his dorm, and quickly saw the other students step out of his way. He clicked his tongue, annoyed with the constant fear-induced reaction that came whenever someone saw him. He walked down the hall, down the stair well, and was about to head to the front gate when he saw a armored car barreling right towards him.

"Huh, what's this?" Accelerator said aloud. The armored car continued to drive towards the dorm, with obviously no intent of stopping. Accelerator smiled; this would show those punks who is boss. He walked calmly towards the van, and began calculating the necessary forces to stop the van.

Martin, who was driving the bomb-loaded car, hit the gas after seeing the albino devil. _He can't stop an armored car, _Martin reasoned. _Especially if it has an additional two tons on board. _Martin grabbed the detonator, knowing that he would have to commit to a suicide attack as he watched Karl get killed by a man in a lab coat.

Accelerator smiled as the van got to within three feet of him when he smashed his foot onto the ground. Martin didn't have time to react as the ground beneath his van had suddenly given way, and the front wheels went into the artificial ditch. He slammed into the airbag, which deployed.

"Fucking asshole!" Martin yelled. He quickly stabbed the airbag to deflate it, and he saw the detonator was now on the floor of the van. He tried to reach it, but he felt a hand rip him out of the van. He barely grabbed the detonator in time as he was thrown against the dorm's wall.

"Oi, I remember you," Accelerator said while smirking at Martin. "Tell me, what did you hope to accomplish by ramming me?" Martin saw the detonator lying a few meters away from him.

"Ramming you should've killed you," Martin began. "But I suppose the initial plan will still work, as I doubt you can survive this!" Martin sprinted to the detonator when he was cruelly thrown into the wall by a gust of wind. He saw Accelerator walking calmly towards him, and Martin glared at him.

"Oi, what might that little button do?" Accelerator asked, pointing to the detonator. Martin tried to reach it, but the wind gust was keeping him firmly to the wall. Accelerator went and picked up the detonator.

"Hm, I wonder…" Accelerator began. "You are staying there until I check something out!" Accelerator began walking to the van, ignoring the looks of the students who were on the outside railing. He got to the van, and quickly opened the back, seeing the massive two ton bomb.

"Oh, this is truly interesting," Accelerator said, a sadist's smile forming on his face. "Hey Italian terrorist, you seriously think this little bomb will kill me?!"

Martin struggled to answer under the wind gust, so Accelerator halted it for the moment.

"No one can survive that bomb in close proximity," Martin said. "Not even you with whatever the hell it is you do!" Martin was certain this would've caused the albino a bit of fear, but instead he saw him start to laugh.

"This bomb kill me?!" laughed Accelerator. "I could be at ground zero of a nuclear explosion and survive, as I can redirect all the vectors that it could produce. Heat, wind, radiation, shrapnel, and god only knows how many other vectors, I can control it!"

Accelerator jumped on top of the van, and raised the detonator above his head.

"Let me show you!" Accelerator yelled, and while the other students ran for the other side of the dorm, Martin sat there, dumbfounded by his reaction. He struggled to see how he could survive a ground zero explosion of a four thousand pound bomb.

Accelerator created a tornado around himself and the van, as much as he likes to act all tough, he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to destroy his dorm, he wasn't going to be responsible for god knows how many deaths, and he wasn't going to deal with the bullshit of those who felt empowered over him. His goal was simple; to show this Italian scum bag who was the strongest person on the face of the earth.

Martin saw through the windstorm and saw the Albino press the detonator, and a massive fireball plumed from the van. Martin watched in horror as the explosion went upwards, traveling along the tornado's flunnel, and after a moment, the debris began to settle, and he saw standing in the crater Accelerator staring at him with his red eyes.

"This," Accelertor began. "This is my power; Vector transformation. Heat, electricity, kinetic energy, gravity, anything and everything that has a vector is subject to my whim. So who the hell do you think you are coming here and trying to kill me?"

Martin couldn't even scream as Accelerator shot himself forward and crushed Martin's skull with a punch that was similar to being hit by a fifty pound steel ball going at five hundred kilometers an hour. His skull shattered into a red mist, showering around Accelerator as he calmly stood up and began to walk to the entrance of the academy, with both the Hound Dog soldiers and his classmates looking at him in awe and terror.

"I think it is time I settle this fucking mess, lest others think I am weaker than my fucking dorm mate," Accelerator said.

* * *

Takai had just seen from his position the albino survive the bomb explosion, and he felt himself fuming. He hadn't even gotten to the third hostage and the plan was crumbling. He had an unknown number of enemies already in the school, the FRF soldiers just got killed, and the rank one terror of the city was now coming after them.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" yelled Takai as he stormed into the gym. "All units, report in!" He then grew pissed as he only heard back from those guarding the front entrance and those in the gym. He then switched radio frequencies to get in contact with Marcus.

"Marcus, tell me the attacks on the Judgment and Anti-Skill facilities were a success," Takai spat out. He heard a sigh from his leader.

"No, as we only managed to do minor to moderate damages to the facilities, and the espers at the Judgment headquarters managed to take on the small squads we sent out," Marcus said. "Have the FRF managed to do major damages to the academy dorms?"

"No, because the fucking number one devil showed up and took the explosion head on!" Takai roared into the radio. "Not only are the three FRF soldiers sent killed, but the bomb didn't do jack shit other than create a nice crater in the dorm's parking lot!"

"GOD DAMN IT!" Marcus seethed. "Seems like this entire attack was one major fuck up!" Takai frowned.

"What do you mean sir, didn't we kill a shit ton of anti-skill and Judgment officers?" Takai asked. He then heard Marcus laugh.

"Maybe, but our losses were staggering; almost everyone in the outer cells has been killed or captured, reducing our strength to three cells. You have to do something to regain the initiative, lest the attack fails!"

Takai heard the radio die, and he slammed it into the wall, fuming in anger. He had only twenty men under his command, and now he was looking at losing the siege. He grabbed the bomb switch and put his finger on it, starting the dead man's switch. He looked over to his second Ren and motioned him over.

"Get all of our men to the gym, except those guarding the front entrance hallway, and line the hostages along the wall, I don't want anyone being able to get in without killing a hostage!"

Ren paused for a moment before he snapped into action, and Takai was left fuming in anger. Why had the siege gone so wrong? It shouldn't have, it was planned perfectly, but instead it came apart at the seams. First the back entrance barricades and the soldiers manning it were neutralized, then the squad with the RPGs were taken out by a well-placed shot, and finally the FRF block buster bomb was defeated by the Accelerator.

He felt himself glaring at Jounan, and he smirks. He saw Ren was about to place her on the wall when he stops him.

"No, if this siege is going down so will this bitch," Takai said, grabbing Jounan by her hair and throwing her to the ground. She tries to get up, but Takai begins kicking Jounan in the gut, letting his wrath flow through him.

"You fucking idiots, why did you see fit to create these abominations?!" demanded Takai. "They are a blight on humanity; they abuse their power, they show no restraint, and they have no pity or empathy for anyone! The Power Curriculum Program should never have been started, and yet you assholes just see the world as a test chamber, where people and their lives are just variables. Why can't you admit what you assholes do is wrong?!"

Jounan begins to cough blood on the gym floor, and Takai pick up the weakened woman by the collar of her jacket, and begins punching her in the face, over and over again, hell bent on making her unrecognizable.

"Isn't this what you wanted; a world where the strongest thrive! Well, what say you?"

He drops Jounan, who begins spitting out teeth and blood onto the floor, and she looks up at hi, her eyes alit with fire.

"Go to hell," she chokes out, and Takai was about to pull out his pistol and shot her in the head for her defiance when he heard a crash and gunfire coming from the hallway. He paused, only to hear the screams of his men dying at the hands of Accelerator.

"You realize that this siege is over," Jounan begins to speak. "So why not surrender; prison has to be better than the inevitable death it you refuse to stand down." Takai pistols whips her, and her skull cracks, though she is still breathing, although barely.

"Ren, tell me we have a plan for when that bastard gets here," Takai asks. Ren shook his head.

"He survived a four thousand pound bomb, what the fuck do we have that even compares to that?!" Takai curses himself; they had nothing other than small arms and the few bombs scattered in the room.

But at that moment, Takai and the eight terrorists in the gym are surprised when the glass is shattered in the observation deck, and four beams take down half the men.

"Oi, what are you fuckers think you are doing?!" Mugino yells out from the observation deck. Takai, knowing that she will take out the last of his men, quickly grabs Jounan from behind and hold her by her throat in his elbox, and raises a pistol to aim at the rank four.

"I don't give a shit what you can do, but in this hand is a dead man's switch! If I die, I drop this and all the bombs go off and kills all your precious hostages!" Takai sneered. "So how about you give up?! You can't kill me, not without the bombs going off."

Mugino growls; why did the academy have to start getting excited? She knew that Frenda and Angelica had disarmed the south entrance hallway's bombs, and that the Accelerator was coming through the north hallway like a unstoppable juggernaut, so the only threats were the bombs in the gym. But the man was now in control of the situation, and with only Saiai and Rikou in position to back her up, she couldn't gurantee a shot on the bastard.

Takai was beginning to think he had bought himself time when he heard a series of shots rang out in the gym. He turned to the noise, while keeping Jounan between him, Mugino, and the new threat, and saw that his last four men, including Ren, were now dead by four headshots and standing over them was Angelica.

"Oh, what's this?" Takai said. "Why, it's the freak that should've died in Italy years ago. Tell me something, what would happen to you if your handler was killed; would you kill me, or would you kill yourself?"

Angelica raised her revolver and aimed at Takai. He tighten his stance to better make use of Jounan's body to cover his own.

"Please tell me you aren't thinking of shooting me, because you will only hit your handler," Takai said. He aims his pistol at Angelica, and begins to smirks. "Perhaps the only thing you can do now is to die."

Takai pulls the triggers and shots at Angelica, htting her in the arm. He pulled the trigger again, only to find that his Makarov pistol failed to properly extract the bullet, causing it to jam.

"Fuck my life," Takai mutters, and he sees Angelica rush him. Takai considers his options, and figures since he is going to die, might as well take everyone with him.

He begins to release his finger from the detonator when Jounan clenches his hand.

"Hell no you don't," Jounan said, and Takai looks and see Angelica put the barrel of her revolver to his skull and pulling the trigger. His body slumps away from Jounan, but she manages to keep his hand on the detonator.

"Everyone, the south entrance is secure!" Mugino said. "If you want out now, use that hallway and get out of the school!" The students and teachers all begin to run out of the gym, making sure not to knock over any of the bombs, while ITEM, after dropping down, walks up to Jounan.

"Who are you guys?" Jounan asks. Upon seeing Mugino's rage contorted face, she waves with her other hand. "Forget it, you took care of this asshole and the others in the school." She then puts pressure on the skull crack and winces.

"Shit, I am going to have a painful recovery," Jounan mutters. Mugino smirks, while Saiai helps Frenda with the bombs.

"Well, does it matter how painful it is going to be?" Mugino asked. Jounan shook her head.

"Nah, being alive is better than being dead," Jounan said. "So Angelica, why are you here and not in the dorm like I instructed Accelerator to do, and where did you get the revolver?" Mugino raises an eyebrow at Angelica, who was currently looking at the ground shamefully.

"Er, because I got past Accelerator, and-" At this point, Accelerator smashed through the north entrance of the gym, looking pissed.

"First off, you didn't get past me, for I didn't stop you!" Accelerator roared. "And second, to answer the revolver, I got her the materials for it, she simply made it."

Jounan glares at Angelica, before she chuckles and shakes her head.

"Dear god Angelica, do you have any idea how many points of your school contract you broke?" Jounan asked sarcastically. "I hope Mr. Daichi will look at your performance in retaking the Academy into account. Now you Accelerator, when I get out of the hospital I will be having a lecture with you."

"Whatever bitch," Accelerator mutters. "Just don't waste my time, alright?" Jounan nods, while Mugino walked over to Angelica.

"You have to deal with him?" Mugino asked, raising an eyebrow. "Better yet, he is the number one? Dear god, he looks like someone shoved him in a tube for his life and gave him the bare minimum to survive."

"What, were you expecting a guy with a six pack and tanned skin?" Angelica asked. Mugino glared at her for a moment, before relenting.

"Frenda, how long until the bombs are disarmed?"

"Eh, about ten more minutes, I have a bit to do here!" Frenda said, complaining about her work load. Angelica then notice Accelerator was standing over her.

"Well, aren't you going to thank me?" Accelerator asked. Angelica looks at him with a pissed off yet confused expression.

"What the hell for?" Angelica asked. "You only took care of the assholes that when in the hallway."

"Did you not see the fucking bomb truck I stopped from destroying the dorms, the same dorms which you reside in?" Accelerator said. Angelica wanted to face palm; did she really have to thank the albino asshole?

"Fine whatever, thanks," Angelica said off handed. "Now if you will excuse me, I got to help Jounan hold onto the detonator until Frenda gets to disarming all the bombs."

Accelerator waved good bye, leaving ITEM, Angelica, and Jounan in the gym as he went back to his original purpose; to resupply his stash of ice coffee.

* * *

Benito was in his safe house, fuming at the failure of the terrorist up-rising. With seven of the twelve cells deployed utterly destroyed and the other five when on the verge of collapse, Marcus had currently gone underground, as the other Skill-Out gangs began a race to find and turn him in to make a quick buck with Anti-Skill.

Not only were his only allies in the city now caught in massive in-fighting, his comrades Karl, Victor, and Martin were all killed during the attack. This left him alone and against practically the entire city. He began to consider what he should do when his phone went off.

"Fuck, I am dead now, aren't I?" Benito swore to himself. "Hello?"

"Benito, what the hell happened?" Cristiano asked. "I think I said you were to kill one cyborg, not kill forty officers, around one hundred civilians, incur over two million dollars in property damage, and not get the fucking cyborg."

Benito began to sweat; the pressure of failing his boss was getting to him.

"Sir, the plan should've work," Benito scrambled. "But for whatever reason, it failed. I don't-"

"Benito, I tolerated your failure last time as it was low key, with next to no public exposure," Cristiano explained. "However, this attack, this has made international media, and thus I can't have any ties to the attack, nor can the FRF."

Benito felt his throat dry up, realizing what was happening.

"But sir, for all they know, it was those extremist from Skill-Out!" Benito pleaded, grabbing his M4 Spectre SMG and checking out the nearest window. "They have no evidence of our doing!"

"Bullshit Benito, I know your comrades are dead, and that leaves a pretty clear trail to your involvement," Cristiano said, calling out Benito. "As of this moment, the Padania movement is calling the attacks done by radicals within the movement, and thus doesn't reflect on it as a whole."

"As of now, the FRF is feeding information to Anti-Skill regarding you, including where you are," Cristiano said. "I suggest if you don't want to be dead or in prison you run now." The line ended, and Benito dropped the phone.

He ran to his desk, where he had stashed his blackmail material against the SWA, when he heard the doors being breached.

"This is Anti-Skill, surrender yourself Benito, you have nowhere to run!" Yomikawa's voice ordered from the loud speakers. Benito knew he only had a few moments before Anti-Skill got through the doors, so he ran to the back of the hideout, and slid out a window. He knew where he was running was too tight for a vehicle to get through, and they hadn't the time to get people into the alley.

He chuckled as he saw the Anti-Skill officers clearing the hideout, as he knew he probably had a good five minute lead on them. He began to run through the labyrinth that was Academy City's alleys, and after running for five minutes he stopped behind a garbage can. He crouched down, thinking he probably lost the officers.

Benito checked that he had all the blackmail information. The photos, the voice recordings, everything to tie the attack to the SWA, and he saw that it was. He checked his sub machine gun and fitted a suppressor, before he got up and began to lightly jog, hoping to get out of the district. He knew that everyone in the district would be after him, and thus he needed to get out of the district, and then the city, and ultimately Japan.

He turned down an alley, where he saw a girl with an orange sweater standing in front of him.

"Girl, get out of my way and if any officers ask about me, you say you don't know me," ordered Benito. The girl shrugged.

"That super isn't going to happen," Saiai said, and she began to run up to him. Benito sighed, and began to fire the entire magazine of his SMG at the girl. But Saiai's offense armor went to work, keeping Saiai perfectly safe from his gunfire.

"What the hell?!" Benito hissed. "You aren't like that monster are you?!" He tried to reload his SMG, only to be punched by Saiai in the gut. He toppled over into a heap, and Benito then saw the presence of three more girls.

"I super got him on the ground," Saiai said. "So do I get the credit for getting him?" Mugino chuckled.

"No, it is to whoever kills him," Mugino said. "And since none of you have brought a gun, I guess I will be collecting the reward for killing him." Benito panicked, and he grabbed his blackmail material.

"WAIT, I didn't organize the attack!" Benito said. "It was those bastards from the Social Welfare Agency! They set me and my men up, and they wanted me to clean their mess up! I got the proof here!"

He felt his blackmail ripped from his hands by Mugino, he tucks it under her arm.

"Well, I guess I will go over this later," Mugino said. She paused, thinking how boring it would be to confirm all this information. "You know what, I am going to give it to my employer, I haven't got the time of day to waste checking on your information."

Benito thought maybe he was going to be allowed to leave, but as soon as he tried to stand up, he felt Mugino slam her foot on his back.

"What, you think I am going to lose fifty thousand yen for letting you go?" Mugino asked, and she formed a single ball of her energy above his head. "I say no to that, I want my money, after all the bullshit I have been through."

She fired her ability off, and instantly Benito's head was incinerated into a fine ash. Mugino saw Frenda and Saiai glare at her, annoyed that they wouldn't be getting a cut for all the trouble they went through. She grabbed her phone and speed dialed their employer.

"Ah Mugino, I assure you have good news?" her employer asked. Mugino smirked.

"Yeah, we got Benito, or rather I took him out," Mugino said. "However, he has material which he claims tie the attacks to the Social Welfare Agency. So, am I getting paid for getting some dirt on a foreign agency?" Her employer sighed.

"Right now, you and the rest of ITEM are collectively getting four million yen, plus the fifty thousand yen for killing Benito, and you want more money for getting intelligence off a dead man?" her employer asked. "Greedy aren't you?"

Mugino sighed. She didn't need money, not really. But she thought about her interactions with Angelica, and the deal she had made with the young cyborg.

"Fine, instead of money, how about you approve a certain someone to being a part of ITEM?" Mugino asked. Her employer rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I assume you want Angelica on ITEM?" Her employer inquired rhetorically. "It will take a bit of string pulling, but I think that, if the information is good, you can have you little esper on your team. Though she is your responsibility as I know the higher up have plans for her."

"Very well sir," Mugino said. "Oh and by the way, don't ask us to go after the fucking terrorists that went underground, I don't have the time nor patience to go after them." Her employed laughed.

"I wasn't planning on it," he said. "Enjoy your rest; you've more than earned it." The line went dead, and Mugino pocketed her phone.

"So what are we super doing now?" Saiai asked. Mugino chuckled.

"Now, we are going to rest, and in a few days time, pick up the newest member of our little group."

* * *

**Author's note: And thus comes the bloody conclusion to the Assassination arc. I hope this chapter is well received, it took me a while to get it to where I liked it. Now we can see Angelica go to a more typical Academy City life, which means instead of dealing with terrorist means dealing with the dark side of the city. But onto the reviews!**

**-Dark0w1: Yeah, Rico is going to become a Magician cyborg, though the specifics will be touched up on in the next chapter. As for Angelica's weapons, well, she is going to join ITEM, so she will get her new arsenal then. What it includes I haven't decided quite yet. And about the cybernetic upgrades, she will probably get a few of them over the course of her journey. Again, what they will be I haven't decided yet, but they will be a bit more flavorful than a biological CPU, even though that is proven to be useful to Accelerator (his choker is a example of this.)**

**-Darkspecter141: Thank you for the great seal of approval! I have read a few of the gunslinger girls crossovers, and most do struggle with integration, so I am glad you think I got perfect integration. And here you go, a chapter ASAP released! Also, Angelica will find out about the SWA's involvement, but it will be on Aleister's accord. So it won't be for a while. **

**The next arc will include Angelica's introduction to ITEM, more KurokoXAngelica, and more into the goal that Aleister has for Angelica. See you next time, and remember, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	11. Chapter 10: ITEM ARC, Welcome to ITEM

**ITEM Arc**

Chapter 10: Welcome to ITEM

Song: VNV Nation's _Nemesis _

* * *

Angelica awoke in her dorm the following Saturday of the terrorist uprising. She lay in her bed, thinking about how the entire attack turned out to be an extreme measure to kill her. She couldn't believe it when Jounan came by and explain how the FRF terrorist managed to be the catalyst to get the extremist element in Skill-Out to launch the massive attack, all in an attempt to cover their efforts to kill her. But after being informed that the FRF terrorist were found dead in the attack, it was the final nail in the coffin.

She rolled out from under the covers in her black night gown and proceeded to get dressed, not looking forward to the meeting with Mr. Daichi to discuss certain parts of the attack. She slipped into her uniform and was getting into her shoes when she heard a knock on the door. Angelica sighed, knowing who it was.

"Accelerator, you know the door is open," Angelica breathed out. "So what do you want?"

"Oi brat, don't get snippy with me," Accelerator snapped out. "It's just Mr. Daichi is here already, so come out soon." Angelica sighed; she thought the meeting would be in his office. She took one last look into the mirror to make sure she wasn't missing anything, and when she was confident, she left her room and walked into the living room.

Standing in the middle of the room was Ms. Jounan, still with her head wrapped up due to the pistol whip that the terrorist Takai gave her, and Mr. Daichi, who was in his business suit.

"Ah, glad you are awake Ms. Costa," Mr. Daichi said. "Please, take a seat." He motioned to the couch that Angelica, under any other circumstances, wouldn't dare sit on. But she begrudgingly took a seat next to Accelerator, who propped his feet on the coffee table.

"Alright, since everyone that matters is here, let me start by saying I am glad you two intervened during the siege of the academy," Mr. Daichi began. "Without your intervention, the estimated casualties would have been in easily close to four hundred lives, with everyone else being injured to any state."

"That said you both broke, for the lack of a better and more politically correct term, a shit ton of rules, most of which are a bitch to explain to both the parents of students that attend the academy and to Anti-Skill. So my purpose is to figure out what the hell you two were thinking."

Angelica knew that this wouldn't be easy to explain everything, especially the fact she had an illegally manufactured firearm, or the fact she stole equipment from the Special Forces soldiers. But that wasn't her biggest concern; her concern was being labeled the cause of the attack, and thus no one would want her to remain in the academy. But she sat on the couch, waiting for Mr. Daichi to begin.

"Ms. Costa, I will go with you first, since your fuck ups are a bit more explainable in my mind," Mr. Daichi stated coldly. "First, where the hell did you get the materials for that revolver of yours, and better yet, why did you make it?" Angelica sighed.

"I got the materials from Accelerator, so where he got it I don't know. As for why, I had four terrorists that wanted me dead. I didn't want to take the chance of being unarmed if they showed up," Angelica explained. Mr. Daichi nodded, sighing at her simple answer.

"Fair enough," Daichi said. "So in essence, it was a way to protect yourself, and you had no intent on killing a dorm mate with it?" Angelica nodded, so he looked over to Jounan.

"Ms. Jounan, I think it would be easy to write off the revolver as a 'prototype' design for our marksmanship team, and have Angelica listed as a future candidate for Nagatenjouki's marksman team." Angelica raised an eyebrow in confusion, but she saw by Jounan breathing a little easier meant that one bullet had been dodged. But Mr. Daichi looked back at her, his face not relaxed like Jounan.

"Second topic, and last if we're honest, what the fuck were you doing outside the dorm, and why did you assist an unknown group of espers with the siege?" Mr. Daichi's voice was stern and Angelica knew she couldn't lie to him.

"Well, I wasn't going to sit around while terrorist had their way with the hostages in the academy," Angelica began. "As for the espers, they appeared to have information regarding the terrorists and were willing to help out, so I wasn't complaining with them helping me."

Mr. Daichi rubbed his chin, frowning at her explanation. After a moment he spoke.

"Well, I can't say that I approve of your actions, but the results of it were beneficial, to say the least of it," Mr. Daichi said calmly, before turning to Accelerator. "You on the other hand have to explain what the fuck you were doing!"

"What, the only thing was prove to that cocky piece of shit Italian who was strongest," Accelerator said, dismissing Mr. Daichi.

"Oh really, does detonating a four thousand pound bomb that was less than ten meters of the dorms in front of a number of students and Anti-Skill personnel that you could've not been able control the explosion of count as 'proving who was strongest'?" Angelica noted the sarcasm dripping from Mr. Daichi's voice, and was partly surprised that Accelerator was able to keep the dorms intact, as a bomb that large would've leveled the dorms and nearby structures.

"What, all a bomb is a device that unleashes a variety of vectors, which as you no doubt know I can control," Accelerator said. "And besides, you aren't going to kick my ass out of the academy, I am a nice trophy for you to use to get more funding for your 'projects'. So quit bitching; the bomb is no more, the dorm is intact, no one but the terrorist died as a result, and I proved I can withstand a bomb explosion at ground zero. Seems like a win-win for you."

Mr. Daichi wanted to at that moment bitch slap Accelerator, as did Ms. Jounan, but Angelica saw Accelerator had a point. Nothing had been loss, well except for maybe a bit of the parking lot, but she knew a bomb that size would've been difficult to defuse, as it probably would've had countermeasures to prevent any attempts to disarm the bomb. She sighed, wanting to get on with her day.

"That's beside the point; the point is, action must be taken, lest I have a shit ton of disgruntled parents trying to lynch me from the first tree the come across. So Accelerator, until the heat dies down, you are hereby suspended and blah, blah, blah. The point is, you aren't showing your face around campus for the time being. So you are getting place out of campus for the time being. Also, all benefits of being a student at Nagatenjouki are revoked."

Accelerator shrugged, not really caring. Angelica breathed a sigh of relief; the fact that she would have her dorm to herself while. Which meant that she wouldn't have to deal with his bullshit, and possible decontaminate the couch he left a mess. Mr. Daichi then turned to Angelica.

"As for you Angelica, you are to join the marksmanship team for training, as in the coming fall we will have the Daihaseisai tournament then. The practices for them will be given to you by Jounan, and you are expected to complete them."

Mr. Daichi then stood up and began to head out of the dorm. He waved good bye and left, leaving Ms. Jounan to shake her head at the two espers.

"God, do you realize the mountains of paperwork I got keeping Anti-Skill from ripping into you?" Ms. Jounan asked. Angelica frowned.

"Sorry, I was doing what I always have done," Angelica said softly. "I didn't mean to get you into trouble Ms. Jounan." Jounan chuckled.

"As Mr. Daichi said, the trouble was worth it, as anything else would've been terrible," Jounan said. "Well Angelica, the practices for the Marksmanship teams are on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Sundays after school hours. So for now, you can relax and head out, which I am guessing you will be needing. Accelerator, get your stuff and meet me at my car so I can take you to your living place."

"Tsk, fine," Accelerator muttered. He got up and looked at Angelica. "At least I won't be dealing with your stupid tea habit."

"Fuck you and your coffee addiction as well," Angelica cursed. Ms. Jounan shook her head, confused how both espers, levels apart, were pissed at each other for their choice of caffeine. Angelica got up and grabbed her purse and phone before leaving to head out.

* * *

Sitting behind a desk going over defense budgets, school budgets, import/export graphs, and international trade systems was not entirely what Dai Yamachi had in mind when he was chosen to become one of the members of Academy City's Board of Directors. He thought he would be in charge of one of the more illustrious academies, maybe having a hand in the organization of the citiy's defenses. He didn't expect to be the guy in charge of running the finical systems of the city.

That didn't mean Yamachi hated the position. Rather, he thought it gave him more power than any of the other directors. He had the ability to control who got money and when, and this meant in high level deals, Yamachi had incredible sway. But with the massive terrorist attack on Sunday, he was dealing with the usual bullshit.

The attack had dealt quite a bit of damage, both in terms of life and property, and thus various people wanted compensation. Anti-Skill and Judgment were practically begging for increase in the defense budget, Nagatenjouki Academy wanted funds to rebuild and compensate the families who children were killed, and finally there were various other groups who were needing money for one reason or another.

"Mr. Dai, the General Superintendent is on the line," spoke his secretary. Yamachi sighed; he didn't speak with the General Superintendent much, but when he did, he usually needed to head to his wet bar afterwards, as his 'requests' usually made him have to bend ass over backwards trying to satisfy him.

"General Superintendent, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Yamachi said sarcastically. He heard Aleister chuckle.

"Mr. Dai, I have a request," Aleister said. Yamachi pulled out a notepad and pen, knowing that whatever the request was it would make him have one helluva time fulfilling.

"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Yamachi asked. Aleister on the other end of the line smiled.

"I need you to approve of an increase in the defense budget for both Anti-Skill and Judgment, hire out help to help rebuild the city, and lastly approve of a slight increase for the budget set aside for ITEM," Aleister said, and Yamachi groaned.

First off, the request was going to cost a fortune from the city with the current amount of funds they had. Unlike many states which were running trillions of dollars in deficits, Academy City was running with a surplus of roughly two billion USD a year. But still, in order to keep these margins, Yamachi would need to figure out ways to increase the funds entering the city.

He figured that he could find a way to loosen up the export of goods from the city, thus increasing the revenue for the city. Another would be to work out trade deals to cut the cost of imports entering the city. Finally, he could always have free-lancers hack the international banking community and syphon off a bit of the funds.

"I get the first three request, Anti-Skill and Judgment took a battering on Sunday, and the city will need to repair any damages incurred, but why does ITEM need more funds?" Yamachi asked. He well aware of the groups that worked for the various members of the Board of Directors, such as SCHOOL, BLOCK, and ITEM, and knew they were usually handed jobs that would normally be kept off the records.

"ITEM needs the funds for a simple reason; they are getting a new member," Aleister stated calmly. "I want said member to have access to the equipment she needs, as well as having funds set aside for future 'endeavors'."

Yamachi paused with the mention of future endeavors. The only one the Board of Directors really cared about what the completion of SYSTEM, the 'birth' of a Level 6 esper. But to his knowledge, only one esper had the potential to becoming a Level 6, and currently the Tree Diagram was running simulations to determine how best to achieve this. So Aleister to suggest ITEM's new member would be used for a future endeavor meant one of two things.

The first was that the esper would be used to help Accelerator to attain Level 6. This seemed in his mind the most likely; as the Tree Diagram had predicted that the only course to feasibly manage the goal was through combat trials. It was running calculations with the best combatant, but it was looking like Accelerator's easiest goal would be to kill 128 Level 5 Misaka Mikoto clones. But if there was a new esper to reduce the time and resources even further, then it would likely be the course taken.

The second option was that the new esper would be a subject of the Level 6 shift. Yamachi couldn't understand this, as the Tree Diagram never made mistakes. The Board would've been informed of a new esper able to reach Level 6, and this meant that the esper would have to be a Level 5, to which none had been announced.

"Aleister, what game are you playing at?" Yamachi asked. "The only one able to achieve SYSTEM at this time is Accelerator."

"I know that," Aleister said. "But what if I know that there is another that will be able to, and so soon?" Yamachi felt himself stiffen up. This is why the Board of Directors weren't informed of another, the esper had yet to become a Level 5/potential Level 6.

"So, when will the esper be a Level 5?" yamachi asked. Aleister grinned.

"Within a couple of years. Almost a month has passed since her coming to the city, and already she is a Level 2. The Tree Diagram had predicted it would take around two months for her to become a Level 2, so it is re-running the calculations to further refine the predictions. But my guess, she will be a Level 5 by April of the year after next."

Yamachi did a bit of mental math. It was November now, so that would mean she would be a Level 5 in seventeen months, give or take. He whistled; not even Accelerator had such a fast development.

"Damn, that beats Accelerator's three year development from Level 3 to 5," Yamachi said. "So how much are you thinking I should set aside for the esper's induction into the Level 6 shift?"

"Make it to where by the time she is a Level 5 the funds for her are equal to Accelerator's," Aleister said. Yamachi groaned; this would probably cost millions in yen, just to get accelerator the combat trials he needed. That wasn't taking in the cost of the labs, paying the scientists, or even covering up the nature of the experiment up. He sighed.

"Very well, just tell me one thing," Yamachi began. "What will this esper be able to do?" Aleister chuckled darkly, causing Yamachi to shiver in response.

"Let me put it to you this way; she is predicted to be able to kill accelerator at level 4, and at Level 6, she is predicted to be able to give the City a permanent deterrent to any foreign threat," Aleister said. Yamachi sweat dropped. If there was an esper to kill Accelerator, then she would be immensely powerful.

"Alright then General Superintendent, I will get the funds in order," Yamachi said, hanging up the phone. He looked over to his secretary.

"Aka, get me a meeting with the US Secretary of Commerce; I need to discuss a deal to get much needed economic growth."

* * *

Angelica was sitting on a chair at a café that was in the underground mall, enjoying the day off. The last couple of days she had been locked up in her dorm, dealing with the mess that came about the terrorist attack. She was eating a soft pretzel when her phone went off.

"Hello?" Angelica answered.

"Hi Angelica, it's me, Kuroko!" Angelica chuckled at the auburn hair girl's excitement.

"Hi Kuroko, how are you doing?" Angelica asked.

"I'm fine, but what about you; your school was under siege by terrorist!" Kuroko said her voice a bit high. Angelica sighed.

"I am fine, I didn't get injured, and the terrorist were taken down by Anti-Skill," Angelica lied. She had been told hours after the attack that she was to claim Anti-Skill came and 'saved the day', despite the fact that one Anti-Skill wasn't there and that two she had done a lot of the heavy lifting. But she wasn't going to argue, as she rather hated attention.

"Oh, ok," Kuroko said. "So where're you at, maybe we could hang out?"

"I am at the underground mall, so if you are nearby we could hangout," Angelica said. She heard Kuroko whine.

"Ah, I can't get over there today, I'm sorry," Kuroko said in a defeated tone. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?"

"Maybe," Angelica noted. "Depends on how I am feeling tomorrow, and if anything comes up."

"Alright then, I will hopefully see you tomorrow," Kuroko said before hanging up. Angelica sighed and began to put away her phone when it went off again. Raising an eyebrow, she answered the call.

"Hello, did you forget something Kuroko?" Angelica said, not remembering to check the caller ID.

"Huh, whose is Kuroko?" asked Frenda. Angelica face palmed.

"Someone I know Frenda," Angelica answered. "Though why are you calling, and better yet, how do you have my phone number?" She heard the French girl chuckle.

"Funny story about that…" Angelica sighed as Frenda grasped at straws, hoping to avoid answering her.

"Just give me the answer straight," Angelica demanded. She heard Frenda scoff at her response.

"Fine, here is the simple answer; after Mugino, Saiai, Rikou, and I dealt with Benito, Mugino managed to convince our employer to allow you into ITEM, and thus Mugino gave me the information so I can get in touch with you so we can discuss some things about ITEM."

Angelica sighed; she forgotten about her agreement to join ITEM as a means to get the help she needed to end the siege of Nagatenjouki. She swallowed the rest of her pretzel before responding to Frenda's answer.

"So I assume you will want me to meet up with you?" Angelica asked calmly.

"Yes," Frenda said. "So can you meet up with me and the others at Joseph's Diner?" Angelica raised an eyebrow; why a family diner to have a meeting? She however waved it off, probably was less suspicious if a bunch of girls were found in a diner than say in an abandoned building.

"Yes I can," Angelica said. "See you in a few." Angelica hung up, and quickly slid her phone into her pocket, as she set it to vibrate just in case. She got up and quickly headed out of the underground mall, heading to diner to meet up with ITEM.

As she walked, she wondered who ITEM worked for. She doubted they were legal, as Jounan didn't recognize them, so that left them being a free-lance group. She felt herself shiver; the thought of being a free-lance killer (she assumed this as she saw how casually Frenda and Mugino were when it came to killing) was almost a slap to the face. She was an anti-terrorist specialist, not a hit man!

But maybe that was the point; having a group working outside the legal jurisdiction did have its uses, the SWA prove this. But then again, they were regulated by the government, despite how covert they were, so who had the leash on ITEM? She tried to figure this out, but after a while she gave up, finally arriving at the diner.

She entered the diner, where she saw Frenda waving her over to a booth that was in a corner. She walked up to the booth, where she saw the others. Saiai was wearing an orange vest and a short blue skirt, Mugino was wearing a yellow shit with stockings, and Rikou was wearing a plain white shirt and black track pants. Frenda moved over, making room for the cyborg.

"So," Angelica began as she sat down. "I'm here, what is this about?" Mugino chuckled.

"You are here so we can discuss your involvement with ITEM," Mugino said. Angelica nodded, allowing Mugino to continue.

"As of now, you are a part of ITEM, and as such, when we get missions, you are expected to follow my orders and complete the missions, while maintaining the cover of being a normal school girl," Mugino explained. "Thus, a few things to note."

"First, whenever we get a mission, I will notify you and it will be up to you to get to the rendezvous quickly, as time is of the essence. Also, it pays to have an excuse set up to explain your absence, I am certain Frenda could help you with that."

"Second, the pay for ITEM is determined by who completes the objective. Thus, if you kill the target, you get the share, as only the strong should be rewarded. Third, you can use your money for whatever you want; as a part of ITEM, you can get access to things that would normally be restricted from most students. And finally, being a part of ITEM is to be a member for as long as the organization exists, so the only way out is, at the moment, death. So, anything you want to ask?"

Angelica paused, considering what to ask. Her mind drifted to her earlier thoughts about who ITEM answers to, but one thought was almost pounding on her head to ask. She breathed, before making her decision on what to ask.

"With my money, would I be able to get access to firearms?" Angelica asked. Mugino's mouth was slightly open, confused not by the question but by the choice of question. Mugino would've thought that she would've asked about how they could easily kill people, but then she remembered Angelica was trained to kill from whenever she joined the SWA. She smiled before answering Angelica.

"Yeah, though the costs are generally double what they would normally cost, what with the need for discretion and getting the guns into the city," Mugino said. "But generally if a job calls for it, we are supplied with firearms." Angelica nodded.

"Alright then," Angelica said calmly. "That's good to know; I prefer having firearms I trust. So, what else is there to talk about?"

"Nothing much, as we don't have a job at the moment," Mugino said. "I suppose a proper introduction is in order though. To my left if Takitsubo Rikou, the team's esper tracker. She is able to detect the location and distance of espers with her ability."

Angelica looked at Rikou, who appeared to be lost in her little world. Angelica could relate somewhat, having been mind-wiped tended to leave her wondering about things more often then others. Rikou seemed to snap out of it when Mugino nudge her.

"Hello Angelica, it's nice meeting you," Rikou said calmly, before drifting back into her thoughts. Mugino sighed.

"Don't ask about what she is thinking about, half the time she doesn't know," Mugino clarified. "To Rikou's left is Kinuhata Saiai, ITEM's close quarter's specialist and the only truly sane person in our group. Her ability is pretty much to create a barrier of nitrogen to prevent incoming attacks from doing any damage."

"Hello," Saiai said, waving to angelica before turning her attention back to her magazine, which appeared to be an article on clothing. Angelica shrugged.

"Then you have to your right Frenda, the team's bomb and assassination expert," Mugino said. "She's a non-esper, but she is very effective with her bombs."

Angelica turned to face Frenda, who was smiling at her, though Angelica could tell that by her eyes she was slightly intimidated by her.

"Hi," Frenda said, extending her hand to shake. Angelica shook it.

"Hello," Angelica said. She was curious as to why Frenda was apart of ITEM if she wasn't an esper; wouldn't it make more sense to have an esper who was as skilled as Frenda?She put the thought aside when Mugino continued.

"And then you have me, the rank four Level 5 of Academy City, Mugino Shizuri, otherwise known to the public as the Meltdowner. My ability is to create four separate beams of energy that are able to punch through any material as though it was nothing."

Angelica remembered how Mugino was able to precisely take down most of the terrorists in the gym without a moments pause, and wondered how she was only rank four.

"So, why aren't you the second rank Level 5?" Angelica asked. Mugino paused for a moment, trying to stay calm.

"Because when I became a Level 5, the first and second rank were occupied by those that the higher ups explained I couldn't dream to beat, so I got the third rank. But a year ago, some fucking high and mighty bitch became 'the Railgun' and for whatever fucking reason she replaced me," Mugino explained with enough cold haterd that it could've frozen hell over.

"Oh," Angelica said softly. "I didn't mean to insult you by any means." Mugino smiled, shrugging indifferently.

"Well, it just the nature of this city; some asshole must come along and make you feel little for no particularly good reason," Mugino said. "But enough serious talk Angelica, welcome to ITEM. So, what shall we be doing today?"

* * *

"No, hell NO!" Angelica yelled, trying to keep the changing room door closed. "It's horrible; just pick something, anything else for me to try on! I won't let you see it!"

"It super can't be that bad," Saiai said, trying to pry the door open. "I have worn some pretty skimpy clothing, but it can't be as bad as those super terrible swimsuits!"

"C'mon Angelica, we are paying for the swimsuit, so if we like it, to hell with what you think of it, we are going to get you it!" Frenda yelled, who was behind Saiai, thinking about how much easier it would be to simply get a breaching charge to open the door.

"To hell you will!" countered Angelica. "No self-respecting person in their right fucking mind would wear something as, as, juvenile as this!"

Behind the two young girls were Rikou and Mugino, oddly amused by the display.

"So, want to bet on who wins?" Rikou popped up. "I have it that Saiai and Frenda force her to wear the swimsuit." Mugino snickered.

"Alright, a hundred yen says she doesn't get forced to keep the swimsuit," Mugino said, quietly reaching into her purse. Rikou did the same, and they saw Frenda and Saiai both pull the door open, finally ending the siege, with a very red and embarrassed Angelica standing in the door way.

She was wearing a two piece swimsuit that would look gorgeous to a man; if it weren't for the pattern of the swimsuit. It was green with little Gekota heads dispersed on the pattern. Overall, it was extremely childish, and Saiai and Frenda were laughing their asses off, finally seeing the product of an earlier bet with Angelica.

"Oh come on, this is cruel and unusual," whined Angelica. "The Geneva Convention should list this as a weapon of mass embarrassment!" This caused Saiai and Frenda to laugh harder, while Mugino and Rikou share a light snicker.

"Alright, alright," Mugino said, after getting over the reaction of Angelica's. "Though let's see the other swimsuit she got; it can't be anything more embarrassing than this."

"Thank you!" Angelica said, and she quickly closes the door to the changing room so she can get the hell out of the swimsuit. She quickly changed into another swimsuit that she had picked out herself, and looked at herself in the mirror. It was another two piece, except this time it was jet black with the edges a deep red band. She smiled and showed the others.

"So, can we get this piece?" Angelica said. The others looked at it, and after a short pause, Saiai nodded, with Frenda shrugging.

"Well, I am going to say get it, as I realized if I were to be seen with you wearing the other swimsuit I would have to off myself to save myself from the ridicule," Frenda said, with Mugino looking at Rikou, demanding payment. Rikou sighed and handed Mugino a hundred yen note. Angelica however was glad she wasn't wearing that piece of swimming traversty.

"So, is this what you guys mostly do?" Angelica asked Frenda as she changed back into her Nagatenjouki uniform. "Go shopping, hang out at diners, then whenever something comes up take care of the problem?"

"Pretty much," Frenda said. "That or we deal with school BS. I swear if I miss another chemistry lesson, my teacher is going to tear into me." Angelica shrugged.

"Well, I guess school would be an issue at times," Angelica said. She walked out with the swim suit on its rack. "Though anyway, let's pay for this and leave that terrible excuse of a swim suit behind; maybe some little girl will like it."

The others nodded, and as they were paying for the swimsuit, they heard a loud squeal that sound like 'Oh, Gekota!', making them chuckle softly. They then headed to the entrance of Seventh Mist, when Mugino's phone range.

"Hello," Mugino said. She heard the steady breathing of her employer.

"Hello Mugino, get your team together, as something came up," he said. Mugino frowned; it had been less than a week since the terrorist attack, and now something came up.

"They are already here," Mugino said. She heard her employer chuckle.

"Very well, get to the van then, the matter can't wait." The line went dead, and Mugino turned to the others, who realized something was amiss.

"What is it?" Saiai asked. Mugino sighed.

"We have a mission already," Mugino said. "C'mon, we'll get the details in the van." Mugino then led everyone to the van, which was parked quietly in an alley beside Seventh Mist. Angelica was the last to get in, and saw that besides a television with a simple 'Sound Only' message on it, the van was bare.

"Ah good, everyone is here finally," the employer said. "Now we can get to the business at hand." Angelica then saw the television switch to an image of a man in his thirties, wearing a simple lab coat, black hair, and sleek, squared glasses.

"This is Dr. Baeyer, a leader in the field of human augmentation and robotic design. He is coming to Academy City for a medical summit being hosted by the city this upcoming Saturday. However, due to his work that some view as unethical or unnatural, a death threat was given to him early yesterday morning. As a result, he will need escort from the moment he enters the city to the moment he leaves."

Angelica thought the name was familiar, when she remembered hearing from Dr. Bianachi at him. Apparently he was a transhumanist, and he was accomplished with giving color blind people colored vision via an implant in the patient's retinas. Of course, why this was a bad thing Angelica couldn't figure out, but people would kill over the most stupid of shit.

"The threat was anonymous, so whoever is behind the death threat is a unknown. However, he suspects it is from an Austrian terror group who are fiercely opposed to anything with modifying the human body. Not much information is on them, but they routinely launch attacks on medical labs and the occasional killing of a scientist."

"So the mission is to protect Dr. Baeyer until he leaves the city, and to prevent anything going down during the medical conference," the employer explained. "The reward for keeping him safe will be a million yen, to be split five-ways, with a reward of twenty-thousand yen for the capture of the individual responsible for the death threat."

"Alright, so when is the good doctor getting in?" Mugino asked.

"Seven PM on Thursday, to minimize the amount of time the doctor is in the city," the employer said. "Thus you will have until Thursday to prepare for escorting the doctor." The line went dead, and the other groaned.

"A fucking escort mission, really?" whined Frenda. "Those sucks; I can't use my bombs yet again!"

"Yay, I get to super get shot at so the doctor can give a speech," Saiai said. "I super hope nothing goes wrong to screw up the mission."

"Oi, quit whining you two," Mugino said. "We probably aren't going to be walking with him like a pair of body guards; rather we will probably be intermingled with the crowd so we can keep an eye on him. So I suggest either suppressed firearms or knives, which ever you are more comfortable with, and if you see anyone moving on the doctor, you are to take care of him without giving yourselves away."

Angelica nodded, as that would be the most logical thing to do. The attacker would probably try and get as close to Dr. Baeyer before attempting anything, and the conference would probably be his best bet. So she would need to get a firearm of some kind.

"So, what firearms do you guys have?" Angelica asked. Frenda shrugged.

"Well, I know I have a FN 5.7 pistol and a P90 with a laser sight and reflex sight," Frenda said. "I think the only other person to have a gun would be Saiai, and she has a, what is it again?"

"It's a H&K USP," Saiai said. "I prefer the bigger bullet it has over the 5.7." Angelica nodded, sort of agreeing with Saiai. The 5.7 was a great round, if they were wearing body armor. Otherwise, the extra energy and the smaller bullet made it not so great against unarmored targets, so something like a 9mm or a .45 ACP would be better.

"So where can I get a gun in this city?" Angelica asked, and upon Mugino's eyebrow raised she explained. "I had my revolver confiscated after the siege."

"Ah," Mugino said. "Well, your best bet is probably see Frenda tomorrow so she can show you ITEM's armory; we should have a suitable firearm for your preference. But as it is, it is getting close to curfew, and I have to get to my bloody physics homework and deal with my nosy ass room mate, so we will meet up after school Monday, as long as nothing intervenes."

Angelica sighed; she would have to squeeze the visit after her esper lessons with Ms. Jounan.

"Alright then, just text me the where," Angelica said. "I have lessons after classes every day except Sunday, so hopefully I won't be late."

Mugino nodded, and the van began to roll, prepared to drop each member off at their academy.

* * *

"Rico, keep up," Jean snapped, his patience having practically been burnt up after the fiasco of the attack on Academy City. Pieri rode his ass every day since, demanding that his future actions wouldn't lead to another quagmire.

"Of course," Rico said, jogging to catch up. She was curious as to why they were nearing Vatican City, considering the SWA held no jurisdiction there. She noted the frustration in her handler as of late, but didn't understand what was the cause of it. She hated not pleasing him, but in a way, she was afraid of saying anything about it, for a little fear of him snapping.

She kept quiet as they reached the entrance to Vatican City. Perplex as Jean showed his visa to the guard, Rico tried to figure out why they would be here of all places. It was highly unlikely a terrorist attack was taking place, and as far as she knew the FRF had nothing against the Pope. Thus the only thing she could figure was the cause for being in Vatican City would be to meet with someone with information.

It would be the perfect place for a neutral meeting; since Vatican City lay outside of Italian jurisdiction, they could enter and get information that they might lose out on if they were anywhere else. In addition, everyone passing through the Vatican was searched for any firearms, and thus they would be safe.

She followed Jean as he walked into St. Peter's Basilica, and was in awe of the massive structure. Inside were ornately decorated marble pillars, and everywhere Rico looked, she noticed the fine details. While she wasn't religious (though she would've if it made Jean happy), she could respect the craftsmanship it took to make the basilica. She noted that it was fairly empty today, and thus as they walked it was unearthly quiet. She was following closely behind Jean when he stopped abruptly.

"Jean, why are we stopping?" Rico asked. Jean checked his watch, before muttering under his breath.

"We are a little early with our contact," Jean said. "By about five minutes, so Rico, I want you to-" Jean was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Rico and Jean turned to the source of the noise.

Approaching them was a tall man in his early twenties. He had fiery red hair, gold eyes, and he was tall, slightly taller than Jean. He was wearing a red suite with reddish-orange pinstripes. But his most striking feature was his calculating yet calm smile, and it was difference than Jean's stern demeanor.

"Ah, you must be Jean Croce and Rico, am I right?" the man asked.

"That is correct, Mr…?" The man chuckled lightly.

"It's simply Fiamma," he said. "I serve as an advisor to the Pope." Rico was confused; wasn't that the role of the cardinals? But Jean merely nodded.

"So Fiamma, this is Rico," Jean said, before he turned to Rico. "Rico, I am leaving you to be trained by Fiamma; you are to obey his word as though they were mine, do you understand?"

Rico felt her throat tighten up, her desire to stay with Jean quite powerful. But it conflicted with her orders, and she wouldn't disappoint Jean by disobeying orders.

"Yes Jean," Rico said. Jean nodded.

"Very well Fiamma, I am done here, so I will leave you and Rico to your training," Jean said, and he briskly walked out of St. Peter's Basilica. When he was out of earshot, Fiamma snorted.

"Arrogant man isn't he?" Fiamma asked rhetorically. "Thinking of you as nothing more than a tool, though I suppose you think differently, now don't you?"

Rico was shocked by Fiamma's ease of talking about Jean as though he is a lesser man. Most people who met Jean were either intimidated or respected him.

"I would disagree with you Fiamma," Rico began. "He is very capable and what he does to ensure success is justified by the ends." Fiamma chuckled.

"Ah, I suppose that would be the conditioning process talking," Fiamma stated. "Oh well, I figure it would be best to explain what is going on while I show you to your room." Rico nodded, curious as to why she was left behind.

"So Rico, have you read the bible?" Fiamma asked. Rico shook her head.

"No; I was paralyzed until I was taken in by the SWA, and then I was focused on training. Why do you ask?" Fiamma nodded patiently.

"Well, it would've been easier to explain if you had a basis to which to understand from. Alright, to make a lengthy exposition short, the reason you are here is so you can counter the threat of espers by becoming a magician."

Rico was silent, contemplating whether this was some cruel test Jean made, or if Fiamma was being dead serious. She had no reasons not to trust Fiamma's word, but Jean told her to obey his words as though it was Jean's. She was mentally tearing at her hair, but she kept calm.

"I suppose you are wondering how there can be magic, yes?" Fiamma asked. Rico nodded. "Well, to use magic one must use Idol Theory. It is the basis for almost all magic. Basic, you use the knowledge of your Idol, and with enough conviction and training, you can use magic."

"Then why isn't everyone able to use magic?" Rico asked finally. Fiamma chuckled.

"Good question, with a simple answer; because faith and belief are two different things. Faith is what most people have in religion; they can quote the bible, they can follow the traditions of the religion, and they can go to church or whatever religious establishment they have. However, Belief is fully embracing it. It's like if someone told you could go to heaven if you died. One with faith would decline, as while they say they believe in heaven, they aren't sure. But a true believer would accept death, in their head knowing they will go to heaven."

Rico nodded, still not getting the whole argugement, but it made a bit more sense. Not all people could become magicians because of a lack of faith, or was it belief. She sighed, getting confused by the mention of Idol Theory.

"Is there a way to explain it to me that doesn't involve a lecture?" Rico asked. "I don't know, maybe an example so I don't feel like I am wandering in the dark." Fiamma nodded.

"Alright, take me for instance. I believe in the Christian faith, and I derive my power from the Idol of the Archangel Michael. Thus I can use powers based on the 'stories' of the Archangel Michael as my own, hence why I can use magic that are likened to the right hand of God."

Rico nodded, getting a clearer picture. But this brought up a new problem. If one religion was able to use magic, what about other religions; shouldn't they conflict and make both null and void, since religion is an absolute doctrine, where if you are of one religion you can't be of another. She brought this point to Fiamma, who smiled at her cleverness.

"Ah you are smart," Fiamma noted. "But no; what it does do is prevent a person from mixing the magic from multiple religions. Like I said, I believe in the Christian doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, so therefore I wouldn't be able to use magic from other religions, say Norse mythology for example."

"I see," Rico said. "So how will I be trained?" Fiamma opened a door, showing Rico to her room. It was a small room, with a window overlooking St. Peter's Square. Inside was a decent size bed, a desk with a copy of the Bible on it, and finally a shelf with a number of books on it.

"Well, training for you will begin on Monday, as Sunday is the day of the Lord's rest. However, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the Bible so you aren't at a complete loss when we begin training you."

Rico nodded, and quickly headed to the desk to begin reading the bible. Fiamma left the room, heading off to meet with the others. He was impressed with how she tried to find the weaknesses with Idol Theory, and thus in his mind she would be quick to learn once she was able to demonstrate her power.

But for now he would have to put the thoughts about Rico aside, as there affairs of the Church to deal with. He strode into the room where the God's Right Seat would hold their meeting, seeing both Vento of the Front and Acqua of the Back lounging on the couch.

"Hello Fiamma," Vento said. "How is the cyborg; think she has any potential?" Acqua sighed.

"Vento, anyone willing to embrace the Lord's word has potential, and from what I gathered, she can be trained to do pretty much anything," Acqua noted. "So don't abandon the young girl, give her time and the training and I am certain she will be very potent."

Vento glared at Acqua, who merely went back to meditating, trying to clear his mind. Fiamma sat down on the red leather chair he had claimed his own.

"Well, we'll see Monday how much potential she has," Fiamma said. "Though she did ask some compelling questions that is making me think she does." Vento shrugged in response. Fiamma then grabbed the newspaper to see the result of the terrorist attack on Academy City, and when he saw not much had happened he frowned.

"This doesn't bid well on our plans of dealing with Academy City," Fiamma said. "If a terrorist uprising numbering in the two hundreds didn't stop the daily lives of the city, then any plans we have for dealing with them must be done with a finer touch."

"What do you suggest then?" Vento asked. "You want us to gather what allies we have and prepare to counter the city's advances?" Fiamma nodded quietly.

"Yes, and I think that Russia would be a good place to start."

"Are you serious?" Acqua asked, snapping out of his meditation and leaning forward on the couch. "The Russian Orthodox Church hasn't been the greatest supporter of the Roman Catholic Church, so what makes you think they will ally with us?"

"Well, they have only a few options," Fiamma began, counting off on his fingers. "First, they can ally with us to take down Academy City, and I know the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Federation have plenty of beef with Academy City to put aside their indifferences with us. Second, they can remain neutral, though knowing Russians this won't appeal to them. Or third, and the most unlikely, they ally with Academy City, though it doesn't gain them anything in the long term."

Acqua nodded slowly, considering what he said.

"But what about the Church of England, they have a substantial power base, and if they align with Academy City…"

"I doubt those heretics would be so foolish as to follow Aleister Crowley," Fiamma said. "And even if they did, what good would it do them? At the moment, they gain nothing."

Acqua rubbed his chin, with a lingering amount of doubt in his mind. He had a feeling that the Church of England would align with Academy City; after all, Aleister was and probably still is one of the most powerful magicians, and thus to have his city as an ally would be beneficial.

But at this time, Fiamma began to focus on likely allies for the Roman Catholic Church, and the ex-knight was forced to focus on what Fiamma was saying. He however made a note to see if the Church of England was planning anything with Academy City, to avoid a nasty surprise.

* * *

Cristiano was standing in front of a window, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, and he thought back about the stupidity of sending Benito to kill Angelica. He may have been loyal to the Padania movement, but he was a solider, not an assassin. He lacked the subtle touch needed to get in and get out before anyone knew someone was dead. If he was honest, the only reason he approved of it was because the person he would've sent was busy taking care of an informant for the SWA that tried to flee to France.

He then saw a black car driving through the gate into his compound. He smirked; it would be a welcome visit from one of his most loyal men. He walked to the entrance hall, where he saw the young man he molded all those years ago into a well-tuned killer.

"Hello Pinocchio," Cristiano said. "How was the French Rivera?"

"Not bad at all, plenty of dark alleys to make the killing look like a mugging gone bad," the young man said. He was wearing a red jacket over a white jacket, and his light blonde hair was loosely combed.

"I see," Cristiano noted. "So do you know why I called you here?" Pinocchio shrugged, not knowing nor really caring. To him, he owed a debt to Cristiano, and thus he would do as he was ordered.

"No sir," Pinocchio said. "What is my new mission?" Cristiano sighed, forgetting that most of the time Pinocchio was as task oriented as those damn cyborgs that were driving a stake through the FRF.

"Have you heard about the mess in Academy City?" Cristiano asked. Pinocchio nodded. "Well, that entire mess was caused by our efforts to kill a cyborg that is in the city. But the cyborg is still alive, and I want you and some associates to deal with the threat."

Pinocchio looked at him in confusion; he was trained to go after targets of the FRF to be sure, but they were in or near Italy, not across the globe. He straightened his jacket.

"Sir, wouldn't it be better to not get involved right away? I mean, weren't you forced to sell off Benito to keep Academy City from retaliating?"

"I did," Cristiano answered. "However, I am not asking you to kill the cyborg right away; rather I want the threat dealt with. If she poses a threat to the FRF, then kill her. However if she remains neutral, then I want you to stay on top of her and prevent her coming to Italy."

Cristiano paused, gathering his thoughts. The cyborg wasn't the only reason he wanted Pinocchio to be in Academy City; while he saw the city as a threat, their ability to deal with a mass terrorist insurrection was proof of their capability. Therefore, if he top assassin could be trained by the city under the guise of a student, then all the better. Besides, the kid has earned his leave.

"The second goal of you going to Academy City will be to assess the threat they pose to us. The associates I am sending with you are to act as your cover," Cristiano said calmly. "Therefore, I want you to meet Franca and Franco."

Pinocchio turned and saw two people walking towards him and Cristiano. One was a tall man with black hair and a scruffy beard. He wore a simple gray jacket and pants. Next to him was a blonde woman a head shorter than the man. She had blue eyes and had a green jacket over her light blue shirt.

"Hello Pinocchio," Franca said politely. "I have heard a great deal about your capabilities."

"Same here," Franco stated. "So, how you been told about the cover story?" Before Pinocchio could reply, Cristiano butted in.

"He hasn't yet," Cristiano said. "I was hoping that you guys could work out the cover story between the three of you. Pinocchio, I want you to follow their orders while you are in Academy City, so long as it doesn't jeopardize the mission, you understand?"

Pinocchio fumbled with the boar amulet he had around his neck, nodding.

"Of course sir," Pinocchio replied. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not really, other than this here is your new ID, passport, your plane ticket from Rome to Academy City, and finally the entrance papers into Academy City," Cristiano replied. "Make sure you don't lose these, as they are the only way you can complete your mission." He handed Pinocchio a yellow package with the aforementioned materials.

"I understand sir," Pinocchio replied. Nodding in approval, Cristiano turned and left the young man and the two free-lance bomb makers. Pinocchio turned to Franca and Franco, who were looking at them in more detail. He glanced at how, despite their relative age difference (He guess Franca to be around her late twenties, early thirties at most, while Franca could probably have been forty) they seemed like a close couple. Franca would lean on Franco, their hands interweaved. He looked closer at their hands, and mentally swore at what he saw.

He opened his packet and pulled out his ID. His name would be Pino (he chuckled at his short name that a cute girl near his home called him) Coltello, Italian for blade. He thought it was a suitable name, considering his preferred weapon was a blade.

He scrolled through the other information; date of birth, country of origin, native language, hair and eye color, height, weight, parents, occupation, social security number- wait, parents? He looked, and saw that his parents were listed as Franca and Franco Coltello. He face palmed; were they being serious?

"Tell me you guys didn't suggest this cover story?" Pino asked, sounding defeated. Franca chuckled.

"Actually, it was the easiest one to get all of us in," she said. "By being your parents, we can stay in the city and while you are off in school- yes, you are going to school as a part of your cover as a foreign student- we can keep tabs on the cyborg and assess the city. You goal will be mainly to take down the cyborg if needed, and to assess the esper program."

Pino sighed; this trip was going to be long. But he looked at the airplane ticket, and saw that his plane left for next Saturday; at least he wouldn't be leaving tomorrow.

"So, _mother and father, _anything else I should know?" Pino regretfully asked, and from their smiles he knew it would be a long week before he left for Academy City. He sighed, doubting the cyborg had as much crap to deal with.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, a new Arc to work on, and some new characters! This arc will be longer, as it will take up a considerable amount of time as it actually has multiple arcs within it, all bundle up as a single arc. So with that discretion out of the way, onto the reviews!**

**-Triser: Thank you for the compliment, and we begin to see the relationship with Angelica and ITEM take off. Frenda will help train Angelica, and vice versa, but for now Angelica is settling into ITEM. But this mission that they are on now will begin the ball rolling for their missions. ITEM picks up more and more missions, and it is why this ARC is called ITEM- it is to cover a number of missions that ITEM goes on.**

**-Darkspectre: While you didn't leave me a review for chapter ten, you did PM me, so thank you for your suggestion. I will try and post a song at the beginning of all major chapters (Arc chapters, chapters were something crucial happens, etc) and post it. So for future reference, the song will be under the chapter name.**

**Also, a few things I want to point out. First, my explanation for Idol Theory is probably wrong, but I tried to explain why not everyone has magic or is an esper. Thus my idea behind the belief/faith argument was an attempt to explain that, so if it is wrong, please PM me with a better explanation for future chapters.**

**Finally, on the Pinocchio name change, I feel Pinocchio is, quite long, so I chose to name him Pino for my own expense. Plus, it still alludes to the fact he is a puppet under Cristiano. But Coltello was my allusion to the fact he uses blades. One final note about Pino, if you have any ideas for esper abilities that tie into his style of combat (close range knife fights), send me a PM and give an explanation for the ability.**

**Thank you guys for reading the story, I hope to have the next chapter out soon, Until next time, please follow, favorite, and review!**


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